conquistador

[ kon-kwis-tuh-dawr, kong-; Spanish kawng-kees-tah-thawr ]

noun

, plural con·quis·ta·dors, Spanish con·quis·ta·do·res [kawng-kees-tah-, thaw, -, r, es].

1. one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.

conquistador

/ kɒnˈkwɪstəˌdɔː; konkistaˈðor /

noun

1. an adventurer or conqueror, esp one of the Spanish conquerors of the New World in the 16th century

Word History and Origins

Origin of conquistador¹

1540–50; < Spanish equivalent to conquist ( ar ) to conquer ( conquest ) + -ador -ator

Word History and Origins

Origin of conquistador¹

C19: from Spanish, from conquistar to conquer; see conquest

Example Sentences

Somewhat later, Spanish conquistadors followed Columbus across the Atlantic to conquer the Aztec and Incan empires, occupying significant parts of the Americas.

From Salon

To do so, he elicits help from fellow students, but their presentation is derailed by unlikely apparitions: a conquistador, a small child, Laura Linney.

From New York Times

When Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés took his final expedition in 1536 and saw the western coast of North America, he called it California, borrowing the name from Montalvo’s romance.

From Los Angeles Times

Moctezuma is fearsome yet depressed, often tripping on magic mushrooms, while the conquistadors grow increasingly anxious.

From New York Times

When Cortés and his conquistadors first encountered the collection of societies we know as the Aztecs — that is, before the Spanish took over what is now Mexico City — these civilizations found each other confusing.

From Los Angeles Times