alcaide

American  

[al-kahy-dee, ahl-kahy-the] / ælˈkaɪ di, ɑlˈkaɪ ðɛ /

Or alcayde

noun

plural

alcaides

1. a commander of a fortress.

2. a jailer; the warden of a prison.

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alcaide British  

/ alˈkaɪðe, ælˈkeɪd /

noun

1. the commander of a fortress or castle

2. the governor of a prison

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Etymology

Origin of alcaide

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Spanish, from Arabic al-qā'id “the leader”

Example Sentences

The title of alcalde must be carefully distinguished from alcaide, which is derived from the Arabic al-quaid, a general, and means the governor of a fortress.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

At Algiers, he said, there lived, overlooking the prison, a great alcaide named Hadji Morato, a very rich man, who had but one child, a daughter of great beauty.

From The Story of Don Quixote by Choate, Florence

The next day this account was confirmed; for, at seven in the morning, an alcaide came and ordered all our people out to work, excepting the sick.

From Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities. by Anonymous

To the old alcaide who served as governor of Denia word was brought, at the end of a day of fierce tempest, that a Moorish ship was approaching the shore.

From Historical Tales - The Romance of Reality - Volume VII by Morris, Charles

The alcaide returned a courteous answer, offering the princess and her train the shelter of the castle, but saying that he had not the power to release them.

From Historical Tales - The Romance of Reality - Volume VII by Morris, Charles