Quechua

noun

Que·​chua ˈke-chə-wə How to pronounce Quechua (audio)
ˈkech-wə
plural Quechua or Quechuas
1
: a family of languages spoken by Indian peoples of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina
2
a
: a member of an Indian people of central Peru
b
: a group of peoples forming the dominant element of the Inca Empire
Quechuan
ˈke-chə-wən How to pronounce Quechua (audio)
ˈkech-wən
adjective or noun

Examples of Quechua 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.
Lenin Tamayo, middle, fuses Quechua language with the beats and fashion of K-pop to make Quechua pop, or Q-pop. Sisa Quispe, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024 And Lenin Tamayo is preserving Quechua and Andean culture. Sam Jacobs, TIME, 16 Oct. 2024 Reynaldo Morales, assistant professor at Northwestern University is a descendant of the Quechua peoples of Peru and teaches on American Indian, and indigenous peoples' issues in the media, and covers environmental issues facing indigenous communities around the world. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024 Brazilians primarily speak Portuguese, and millions of people in Latin America speak Indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl, K'iche' and Quechua. Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 After all, the part called for a Native performer with basketball experience, and Bratt, whose mom’s side is Quechua and dad’s is Coahuiltecan Nation, spent three years on his high school’s varsity team. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024 But now there is also rap, hip-hop, and trap performed in Quechua, thanks to young artists who have chosen to both spotlight the sound, and use it to call out injustices to Quechua people. Sisa Quispe, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024 During the lithium war in a future Bolivia, a Quechua teenager decides to become a surrogate to escape poverty, facing her mother’s fury and unleashing a family conflict in the midst of social turbulence, the synopsis runs. John Hopewell, Variety, 12 Aug. 2024 Cruz is learning Quechua, inspired by her Indigenous Bolivian dad and grandparents speaking the language. Damaly Gonzalez, refinery29.com, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, probably from Southern Peruvian Quechua qheswa (simi), literally, valley speech

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of Quechua was in 1688

Dictionary Entries Near Quechua

Cite this Entry

“Quechua.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Quechua. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Quechua

noun
Que·​chua ˈkech-(ə-)wə How to pronounce Quechua (audio)
kə-ˈchü-ə
plural Quechua or Quechuas
: a family of closely related languages spoken by Indigenous peoples of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina

More from Merriam-Webster on Quechua

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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