< /kɔˈdil yoʊz, -ˈdi oʊz; Spanish kɔˈði lyɔs, -ˈði yɔs/.
- (in Spanish-speaking countries) a head of state, especially a military dictator.
noun plural -los (-jəʊz, Spanish -ʎos)
- (in Spanish-speaking countries) a military or political leader
dictator in Spain or Latin America, 1852, from Spanish caudillo, cabdillo “leader, chief,” from Late Latin capitellum, diminutive of caput (genitive capitis) “head” (see capitulum). Later in Spain taken by Franco as a title in imitation of German Führer, Italian Duce.