Quechua or Kech·ua, Kech·uan, Quech·uan, Quich·ua [kech-wah, -wuh] Examples noun, plural Quech·uas, (especially collectively) Quech·ua for 2.
- the language of the Inca civilization, presently spoken by about 7 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
- a member of an Indian people of Peru speaking Quechua.
Examples from the Web for quechua Historical Examples of quechua
Their life is absolutely distinct from that of their Quechua neighbors.
Isaiah Bowman
The word pampa belongs to the Quechua language, language of the Incas.
Gustave Aimard
The lowland Indian never falls into the abject condition of his Quechua brother on the plateau.
Isaiah Bowman
This name, in Quechua, signifies ‘copper-bearing,’ and copper was extensively used by the Incas.
Spanish America, Its Romance, Reality and Future, Vol. 1
Charles Reginald Enock
The Quechua women are distinguished from the Aymaras chiefly by their hats, which are flatter.
Spanish America, Its Romance, Reality and Future, Vol. 1
Charles Reginald Enock
British Dictionary definitions for quechua Quechua Kechua Quichua noun
- plural -uas or -ua a member of any of a group of South American Indian peoples of the Andes, including the Incas
- the language or family of languages spoken by these peoples, possibly distantly related to the Tupï-Guarani family
Derived FormsQuechuan, Kechuan or Quichuan, adjective, noun Word Origin and History for quechua Quechua n.
Indian people of Peru and surrounding regions, 1811, from Spanish, from Quechua kechua “plunderer, destroyer.” Also the name of their language. Related: Quechuan.