Inca

[ ing-kuh ]
/ ˈɪŋ kə /

noun

a member of any of the dominant groups of South American Indian peoples who established an empire in Peru prior to the Spanish conquest.
a ruler or member of the royal family in the Incan empire.

Origin of Inca

1585–95; < Spanish < Quechua inka ruler of the Inca state

OTHER WORDS FROM Inca

In·ca·ic [ing-key-ik, in-] /ɪŋˈkeɪ ɪk, ɪn-/, adjective In·can, noun, adjective pseu·do-In·can, adjective, noun

Example sentences from the Web for incas

British Dictionary definitions for incas

Inca
/ (ˈɪŋkə) /

noun plural -ca or -cas

a member of a South American Indian people whose great empire centred on Peru lasted from about 1100 ad to the Spanish conquest in the early 1530s and is famed for its complex culture
the ruler or king of this empire or any member of his family
the language of the Incas See also Quechua

Derived forms of Inca

Incan, adjective

Word Origin for Inca

C16: from Spanish, from Quechua inka king

Cultural definitions for incas

Incas

A Native American people who built a notable civilization in western South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The center of their empire was in present-day Peru. Francisco Pizarro of Spain conquered the Inca Empire.