cacique

English

Alternative forms

• cazic, cazique

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique, from Taíno *kasike or Lokono kassequa, cazaqah (“chieftain; power”).

Noun

cacique (plural caciques)

1. (historical) A tribal chief in the Spanish West Indies.

   Synonym: chieftain

   • 1993 December 5, Anthony Depalma, “Why Mexico Has Only One Big Hat In the Ring”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mexico has loved a strong leader since before Moctezuma. Indigenous tribes were ruled by caciques, or chieftans^[sic], and in some rural communities caciques are still unchallenged.

2. A local political leader in Latin America, Spain, or the Philippines.

   Coordinate term: caudillo

3. (ornithology) Any of a number of tropical blackbirds from Central America and South America, family Icteridae.

Derived terms

• caciquism

 

Translations

tribal chief in the Spanish West Indies

• Czech: kazik m
• German: Kazike (de) m
• Japanese: 酋長 (ja) (しゅうちょう, shōchō)
• Polish: kacyk (pl) m
• Portuguese: cacique (pt) m or f

bird of the family Icteridae

• Finnish: turpiaali (fi)
• Polish: kacyk (pl) m
• Spanish: cacique (es) m, arrendajo (es) m

Further reading

• cacique on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.sik/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques)

1. (historical) chieftain (Indian chief in a tribe)
2. (by extension) a very powerful person

Further reading

• “cacique”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique, from Taíno *kasike or Lokono kassequa, cazaqah (“chieftain; power”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kaˈθike/ [kɑˈθi.kɪ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /kaˈθike/ [kɑˈθi.kɪ]
• IPA^(key): (seseo) /kaˈsike/ [kɑˈsi.kɪ]

• Rhymes: -ike
• Hyphenation: ca‧ci‧que

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques)

1. (historical) chieftain (native American chief in a tribe)
2. (by extension, derogatory) a very powerful person, in particular one who abuses and imposes his power locally for political gain; fat cat; tyrant
   • 1885, O Tío Marcos da Portela, II, 60, page 1:

     Poucos terán boas lembranzas do ano que se foi, porque escomenzou mal e non poido acabar pior. O inverno foi crúo, a primadeira esmorecida e chuviosa, o vrau abafante, o outono desleigado. Día por día pasáro-no contando os seus traballos e coitas os labregos, agardando pola súa redención os que viven escravos dos caciques d'aldea, pensando na súa terriña os emigrantes que morren lonxe dela, aduanando falcatruadas os que trunfan e medran á conta dos máis

     Few people will have good memories of last year, because it started badly and couldn't have ended worse: winter was harsh, spring rainy and faint, summer stifling, autumn sloppy. Day after day, the peasant spent their time telling about their troubles and disgraces, waiting for their redemption the ones who live enslaved by village tyrants, longing their land the emigrants who die far away from her, plotting frauds those who trump and grow at the expense of others.

   • 1889, A Monteira, number 6, page 43:

     Antes de rubir ó puleiro, non fan máis que cacarexar qu'han facer i acontecer, pro non se ve outra cousa dempois máis qu'os benfeitos que reciben tódo-los que teñen a sorte de ll'axudar nas falcatrúas, pr'amocar ós que non son do pau, e nas trécolas pra conquerir sona co cacique maor, que dende Madril diuta disposiciós d'intrés particolar prós seus nagocios.

     (the councillors) before climbing onto the perch do nothing but cackle about what they'll do and what will be, but then you don't see anything other than the benefits received by all who have the fortune to help them in their frauds, to pester those who don't belong to the same suit, and the tricks to gain fame with the great cacique, who from Madrid dictates dispositions of particular interest for his own business.

   • 1977, Suso Vaamonde / traditional, Ua! (song):

     este pandeiro que toco
     por moito que repenique
     non teñas medo que rache
     que é de coiro de cacique

     this tambourine I play,
     no matter how much I drum it,
     have no fear, it won't break,
     'cause is made of tyrant skin

Derived terms

• cacicada
• caciquil
• caciquismo

 

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “cacique”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “cacique”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “cacique”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Cacique (2) Raoni Metuktire

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique, from Taíno *kasike or Lokono kassequa, cazaqah (“chieftain; power”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈsi.ki/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈsi.ki/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈsi.ke/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐˈsi.kɨ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -iki, (Portugal) -ikɨ
• Hyphenation: ca‧ci‧que

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques, feminine cacica, feminine plural cacicas)

1. (historical) cacique (chieftain)

   Synonym: chefe

2. tribal chief of an Amerindian community
3. (by extension) very powerful person
4. (Brazil, informal) money

Derived terms

• cacical
• cacicar
• caciquismo
• caciquista

 

Further reading

• “cacique”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2024

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Taíno *kasike (“chieftain”) or Lokono kassequa (“chieftain; power”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /kaˈθike/ [kaˈθi.ke]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /kaˈsike/ [kaˈsi.ke]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ike
• Syllabification: ca‧ci‧que

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques, feminine cacique or cacica, feminine plural caciques or cacicas)

1. (historical) chieftain (Indian chief in a tribe)
2. (by extension) powerful person, fat cat
3. (ornithology) cacique (bird)

Derived terms

• cacicada
• cacical
• cacicato
• cacicatura
• cacicazgo
• cacique veranero
• caciquear
• caciquil
• caciquismo

 

Descendants

• → Catalan: cacic
• → English: cacique
• → French: cacique
• → Galician: cacique
• → German: Kazike
• → Portuguese: cacique

Further reading

• “cacique”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10