cacique

1 of 2

noun (1)

ca·​cique kə-ˈsēk How to pronounce cacique (audio)
1
: an Indigenous chief in areas dominated primarily by a Spanish culture
2
: a local political boss in Spain and Latin America
caciquism
kə-ˈsē-ˌki-zəm How to pronounce cacique (audio)
noun

caciquism

2 of 2

noun (2)

ca·​ciqu·​ism kə-ˈsē-ˌki-zəm How to pronounce caciquism (audio)
plural -s
: domination by caciques
economic and administrative caciquism—C. A. Buss

Examples of cacique in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Chiefs or caciques held godlike powers and could order laborers to cultivate land or serve in military encounters. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 The son of a cacique (chief) from the Vale do Javari, an indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon larger than Austria, he was converted by a missionary from another ethnic group and became a pastor himself. — The Economist, 11 July 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Spanish, from Taino, chief

Noun (2)

Spanish caciquismo, from cacique + -ismo -ism

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cacique was in 1555

Rhymes for cacique

See All Rhymes for cacique

Browse Nearby Words

caciocavallo
cacique
caciquism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cacique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cacique. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cacique

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cacique

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All