Spanish

[span-ish]

adjective

of or relating to Spain, its people, or their language.

noun

the Spanish people collectively.

a Romance language, the language of Spain, standard also in most of Latin America except Brazil. Abbreviation: Sp, Sp.

Origin of Spanish

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at Spain, -ish¹

Related formsan·ti-Span·ish, adjectivehalf-Span·ish, adjectivenon-Span·ish, adjective, nounpre-Span·ish, adjectivepro-Span·ish, adjectivepseu·do-Span·ish, adjectivequa·si-Span·ish, adjective

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

Related Words for spanish

insular, Catalan, Continental, French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Provencal

Examples from the Web for spanish

Contemporary Examples of spanish

According to some rumors, Goya was once on staff before his fame as a Spanish painter.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants
Justin Jones
December 20, 2014
This concern ceased after the Spanish warned of severe punitive measures on the family members of suicides.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Hatuey replied that he would rather burn and be sent to hell than ever again encounter people as cruel as the Spanish.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
“They also were responsible for the Barcelona subway plot,” a plan disrupted by Spanish law enforcement in 2008.
Pakistani School Killers Want to Strike the U.S.
Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey
December 17, 2014
A more recent phenomenon in the political universe is politicians of Hispanic heritage who are not fluent in Spanish.
Which Potential Candidates Speak Spanish—and Will It Matter?
Eleanor Clift
December 14, 2014

Historical Examples of spanish

A deal with the Rothschilds for control of the Spanish mines had fallen through.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
There is much Spanish blazonry also, if I could but read it.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
From her Spanish mother she had learned to please the man, not herself.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Spanish or Portuguese or English; it was always an unhappy ending for the Indians.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
The name is a Spanish corruption ofAshiwi, their own name for themselves.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

British Dictionary definitions for spanish

Spanish

noun

the official language of Spain, Mexico, and most countries of South and Central America except Brazil: also spoken in Africa, the Far East, and elsewhere. It is the native language of approximately 200 million people throughout the world. Spanish is an Indo-European language belonging to the Romance group

the Spanish (functioning as plural) Spaniards collectively

adjective

of or relating to the Spanish language or its speakers

of or relating to Spain or Spaniards

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 spanish

Spanish

c.1200, from Spaine "Spain," from Old French Espaigne (see Spaniard). Replaced Old English Speonisc. For Spanish Main see main. Spanish moss is attested from 1823. Spanish fly, the fabled aphrodisiac (ground-up cantharis blister-beetles), is attested from c.1600. Spanish-American War was so called in British press speculations early 1898, even before it began in April. For Spanish Inquisition (by c.1600), see Inquisition.