Inca

American  

[ing-kuh] / ˈɪŋ kə /

noun

Incas plural

1. a member of any of the dominant groups of South American Indian peoples who established an empire in Peru prior to the Spanish conquest.

2. a ruler or member of the royal family in the Incan empire.

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Inca British  

/ ˈɪŋkə /

noun

1. a member of a South American Indian people whose great empire centred on Peru lasted from about 1100 _ad to the Spanish conquest in the early 1530s and is famed for its complex culture

2. the ruler or king of this empire or any member of his family

3. the language of the Incas See also Quechua

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Incan
  noun
• Incaic
  adjective
• Incan
  adjective
• pseudo-Incan
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Incas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Inca

1585–95; < Spanish < Quechua inka ruler of the Inca state

Example Sentences

“Crypto use in Venezuela will persist and likely expand in the short term,” said Adam Zarazinski, chief executive officer of the crypto-intelligence firm Inca Digital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Visitors can take a series of trains and buses to reach the site, or hike along the Inca trail with a registered tour operator.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

The two trains involved in the accident were operated by PeruRail and Inca Rail respectively.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

Fifteen people were injured when two trains crashed head-on Tuesday near the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru's top tourist attraction, police and train operators said.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

Chalcuchima’s miscalculation marked a turning point in the collapse of Inca resistance, a moment almost as significant as the capture of Atahuallpa himself.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond