alcalde

al·cal·de
A1L1C3A1L1D2E1
/ɑlˈkɑldi//æl-/Philippines/ʔɐlˈkal.dɛ/

noun

In Spain or Latin America, a municipal magistrate who has both judicial and administrative functions.

OriginSpanish alcalde ← Arabic اَلْقَاضِي →
UncommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

alcalde1

nounalcalde (plural alcaldes)

plural alcaldes

  1. In Spain or Latin America, a municipal magistrate who has both judicial and administrative functions.

    There's to be a fair, you know. The alcalde announced it. He's got a good head for business, our alcalde has.

    1981, Gene Wolfe, chapter I, in The Claw of the Conciliator (The Book of the New Sun; 2), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 10

Alcalde2

proper nounAlcalde (plural Alcaldes)

plural Alcaldes

  1. A surname from Spanish.

Origin

  1. Arabicاَلْقَاضِي“the judge”
  2. Spanishalcalde
  3. Englishalcalde

Borrowed from Spanish alcalde, from Arabic اَلْقَاضِي (al-qāḍī, “the judge”). Doublet of qadi and casis.

More words from Spanish, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

alcalde. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alcalde

MLA

“alcalde.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alcalde. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alcalde,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alcalde.

Source: alcalde on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.