Inca

[ing-kuh]

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for incas

Contemporary Examples of incas

Especially when the leader in question is that Inca of Incas, the president of the United States.
What the Rest of the World Thinks of America’s Shutdown
October 3, 2013

Historical Examples of incas

The drama was cultivated by the Incas, and dramatic performances were enacted before them.
Apu Ollantay
Anonymous
Under the rule of the Spaniards the roads of the Incas went to ruin.
The Railroad Question
William Larrabee
And in Peru a brave descendant of the Incas arose as a Deliverer.
A Short History of Spain
Mary Platt Parmele
Whatever it was, from the Incas' point of view it was absolute and satisfactory.
South American Fights and Fighters
Cyrus Townsend Brady
I had seen the last day of the stately empire of my fathers the Incas!
The Romance of Golden Star ...
George Chetwynd Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for incas

Inca

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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."

incas in Culture

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.