Quichua

[keech-wah, -wuh]

noun, plural Quich·uas, (especially collectively) Quich·ua.

Quechua

or Kech·ua, Kech·uan, Quech·uan, Quich·ua

[kech-wah, -wuh]

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

the language of the Inca civilization, presently spoken by about 7 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

a member of an Indian people of Peru speaking Quechua.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quichua

Historical Examples of quichua

Zegarra, as a native of Peru whose language was Quichua, had great advantages.
Apu Ollantay
Anonymous
This is a clear proof that before 1781 these Quichua dramas were acted.
Apu Ollantay
Anonymous
He was not only a Quichua scholar, but also accomplished and well read.
Apu Ollantay
Anonymous
Their language differs from the Quichua, though evidently a sister-tongue.
The Western World
W.H.G. Kingston
There was, for instance, the learning of the Quichua language.
Harry Escombe
Harry Collingwood

British Dictionary definitions for quichua

Quichua

noun plural -uas or -ua

a variant of Quechua

Quechua

Kechua Quichua

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 FormsQuechuan, 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

Word Origin and History for quichua

Quechua

Indian people of Peru and surrounding regions, 1811, from Spanish, from Quechua kechua "plunderer, destroyer." Also the name of their language. Related: Quechuan.