Spanish
Americanadjective
noun
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the Spanish people collectively.
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a Romance language, the language of Spain, standard also in most of Latin America except Brazil. Sp, Sp.
noun
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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
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(functioning as plural) Spaniards collectively
adjective
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of or relating to the Spanish language or its speakers
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of or relating to Spain or Spaniards
Usage
Plural word for Spanish The plural form of Spanish can be Spanishes. This is used to refer to different varieties of the Spanish language, as in The Spanishes of Spain and Mexico are quite different. Phrases like varieties of Spanish and Spanish dialects are probably more commonly used to refer to multiple versions of the language, but the plural Spanishes is perfectly acceptable.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Spanish
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at Spain, -ish 1
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spanish banks are down around 2% compared to the sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
With its three interconnected stories that follow queer men through nearly a century of Spanish history, “La Bola Negra” has an epic feel and emotional payoff that could carry it far.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The company’s new voice assistant, Archy, is part of its Google-powered ArchIQ system and can take drive-thru orders in English and Spanish.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
A blood spatter report and a court order received by the family this month have reignited their hopes that criminal proceedings could commence in the Spanish courts.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
We make a brief stop in La Coruña, Spain, where we are enchanted to hear the Spanish language.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
