Inca
[ ing-kuh ]
/ ˈɪŋ kə /
|
noun
a member of any of the dominant groups of South American Indian peoples who established an empire in Peru prior to the Spanish conquest.
a ruler or member of the royal family in the Incan empire.
Origin of Inca
1585–95; < Spanish < Quechua inka ruler of the Inca state
Related formsIn·ca·ic [ing-key-ik, in-] /ɪŋˈkeɪ ɪk, ɪn-/, adjectiveIn·can, noun, adjectivepseu·do-In·can, adjective, noun
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for incas
British Dictionary definitions for incas
Inca
/ (ˈɪŋkə) /
noun plural -ca or -cas
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
the ruler or king of this empire or any member of his family
the language of the IncasSee also Quechua
Derived FormsIncan, adjective
Word Origin for Inca
C16: from Spanish, from Quechua inka king
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for incas
Inca
1590s, from Spanish Inga (1520s), from Quechea Inca, literally "lord, king." Technically, only of the high Inca, but it was used widely for "man of royal blood."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for incas
Incas
A Native American people who built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Peru. Francisco Pizarro of Spain conquered the Inca Empire.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.