Quechua

[ kech-uh-wah, kech-wuh ]

/ ˈkɛtʃ ə wɑ, ˈkɛtʃ wə /

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noun, plural Quech·uas, (especially collectively) Quech·ua for 2.

the language of the Incan civilization, presently spoken by about 8 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

a member of an Indigenous people of Peru speaking Quechua.

adjective

of or relating to the Quechua or their language; Quechuan.

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Also Kech·ua, Kech·uan, Quech·uan; Quich·ua

[keech-wah, -wuh] /ˈkitʃ wɑ, -wə/ .

Origin of Quechua

First recorded in 1680–90; from Spanish Quechua, Quichua, possibly from Quechua qichwa, qhichwa “temperate valley, people who live in a temperate valley”; possibly from Quechua kkechúwa “robber, plunderer”

Words nearby Quechua

Quebecker, Québecois, quebracho, quebrada, Quechan, Quechua, Quechuan, queef, queen, Queen Anne, Queen Anne's Bounty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Quechua in a sentence

This time, a conversation with a Quechua man he met while researching for his dissertation in Peru.
Cody Petterson’s Quixotic Crusade for Change Animates His Run for SDUSD’s District C Board Seat|Jakob McWhinney|August 17, 2022|Voice of San Diego
The word pampa belongs to the Quechua language, language of the Incas.
The Guide of the Desert|Gustave Aimard
Their life is absolutely distinct from that of their Quechua neighbors.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
For the rest, the Incas endeavoured to spread the language of Cuzco, the Quechua, throughout their empire.
Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by the Native Religions of Mexico and Peru|Albert Rville

In the south, Aymara is chiefly spoken; but further north, Quechua is the commoner language.
Argentina From A British Point Of View|Various
By this route the long quechua passed amongst the Diaguites populations.
The Argentine Republic|Pierre Denis

British Dictionary definitions for Quechua

Quechua

Kechua Quichua

/ (ˈkɛtʃwə) /

noun

plural -uas or -ua a member of any of a group of South American Indian peoples of the Andes, including the Incas

the language or family of languages spoken by these peoples, possibly distantly related to the Tupï-Guarani family

Derived forms of Quechua

Quechuan, Kechuan or Quichuan, adjective, noun

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