noun
conquistador
kahng-KEES-tuh-dor/kɑːŋˈkiːstədɔːr/
A Spanish conqueror in the Americas during the colonial era.
The conquistador stands on an American shore with a Spanish sailing ship offshore.
Etymology
The pieces name someone who conquers. English uses this Spanish title especially for the conquerors who took control of parts of the Americas in the sixteenth century.
In context
In 1521, a massive siege was waged against Tenochtitlán. This was led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who’d become infamously known as the very man who conquered the Aztec Empire.
More examples
- Hernán Cortés was the conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
- Many conquistadors sought gold and claimed land for Spain.
- Indigenous communities resisted the conquistadors who invaded their lands.
Forms
conquistador · conquistadors · conquistadores
Similar words
- conqueror
- Conqueror applies to anyone who takes territory by force.
- invader
- Invader emphasizes entering another land by force, not successfully conquering it.