Quechua

American  

[kech-uh-wah, kech-wuh] / ˈkɛtʃ ə wɑ, ˈkɛtʃ wə /

Also Kechua,

noun

plural

Quechuas,

plural

Quechua

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

2. a member of an Indigenous people of Peru speaking Quechua.

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adjective

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

Quechua British  

/ ˈkɛtʃwə /

noun

1. a member of any of a group of South American Indian peoples of the Andes, including the Incas

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

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Other Word Forms

• Quechuan adjective

Etymology

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”

Example Sentences

“Pancho started giving us these very specific, not only slang, but also Quechua words and things that would make it feel very specifically Ecuadorean,” Cordova says.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Quechua is the name for a family of Indigenous languages that spread from Peru to other neighboring countries.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2024

From there the Princess will head to Qoricancha, or “The Golden Temple” in Quechua language, considered the most important - and most sacred - temple by the Incas.

From Washington Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Tito’s research, Feeley says, underscores how Peruvian scientists, particularly those who speak Quechua, can relate to local people in a way that foreign scientists cannot.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 2, 2023

It is noteworthy that, in Nahuatl as in the Quechua, the title for minor chief is homonymous with the word for fingers.

From The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations by Nuttall, Zelia