Quechua

[ kech-uh-wah, kech-wuh ]

noun

, plural Quech·uas, (especially collectively) Quech·ua

1. the language of the Incan civilization, presently spoken by about 8 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
2. a member of an Indigenous people of Peru speaking Quechua.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Quechua or their language; Quechuan.

Quechua

/ ˈkɛtʃwə /

noun

1. -uas-ua a member of any of a group of South American Indian peoples of the Andes, including the Incas
2. the language or family of languages spoken by these peoples, possibly distantly related to the Tupï-Guarani family

Derived Forms

• ˈQuechuan, adjectivenoun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Quechua¹

First recorded in 1680–90; from Spanish Quechua, Quichua, possibly from Quechua qichwa, qhichwa “temperate valley, people who live in a temperate valley”; possibly from Quechua kkechúwa “robber, plunderer”

Example Sentences

Quechua is the name for a family of Indigenous languages that spread from Peru to other neighboring countries.

From Science Daily

From there the Princess will head to Qoricancha, or “The Golden Temple” in Quechua language, considered the most important - and most sacred - temple by the Incas.

From Washington Times

Tito’s research, Feeley says, underscores how Peruvian scientists, particularly those who speak Quechua, can relate to local people in a way that foreign scientists cannot.

From Science Magazine

Once there, they knelt, praying in Aymara, Quechua as well as Spanish, their eyes tightly closed with hands extended to the heavens.

From Reuters

Known as “huacas” in the Indigenous Quechua language, those adobe constructions are on top of hills considered sacred places.

From Seattle Times