alcalde

See also: Alcalde and alcaide

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Philippines) IPA^(key): /ʔɐlˈkal.dɛ/
• Hyphenation: al‧cal‧de

Noun

alcalde (plural alcaldes)

1. In Spain or Latin America, a municipal magistrate who has both judicial and administrative functions.
   • 1981, Gene Wolfe, chapter I, in The Claw of the Conciliator (The Book of the New Sun; 2), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 10:

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

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with alcaide.

Derived terms

• alcaldeship

 

Related terms

• qadi

 

Further reading

• alcalde on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic اَلْقَاضِي (al-qāḍī, “judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [əlˈkal.də]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [alˈkal.de]
• Rhymes: -alde
• Hyphenation: al‧cal‧de

Noun

alcalde m or f by sense (plural alcaldes, feminine alcaldessa)

1. mayor

Related terms

• alcaldada
• alcaldia

Further reading

• “alcalde” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “alcalde” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “alcalde”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Chibcha

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish alcalde.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alkalde/

Noun

alcalde

1. mayor

References

• Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.

Classical Nahuatl

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish alcalde, from Andalusian Arabic اَلْقَاضِي, from Arabic قَاضٍ (qāḍin, “judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aɬˈkáːɬ.teʔ]

Noun

alcalde (animate, plural alcaldesmeh)

1. A municipal judge or member of the cabildo.
   • 1555, Alonso de Molina, Aqui comienca vn vocabulario en la lengua castellana y mexicana, f. 14r:

     Alcalde.  lo miſmo.

     A magistrate. the same.

Derived terms

• alcaldeyōtl

References

• Alonso de Molina (1571) Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, Editorial Porrúa

Galician

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese alcalde, from Old Spanish alcalde, from Arabic اَلْقَاضِي (al-qāḍī, “judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈkalde/ [ɑɫˈkɑl̪.d̪ɪ]
• Rhymes: -alde
• Hyphenation: al‧cal‧de

Noun

alcalde m (plural alcaldes, feminine alcaldesa, feminine plural alcaldesas)

1. mayor (the leader of a city or a municipality)
   • 1437, A. Rodríguez González (ed.), Livro do Concello de Pontevedra (1431-1463). Pontevedra: Museo de Pontevedra, page 127:

     Pero Ares d'Aldãa, tenente lugar ẽna dita billa e torres dela por noso señor o arçebispo de Santiago dom Lopo, e Pero Falcon, juis, Juan Garçia Rouquo, Lourenço Yanes de Pastoris, alcaldes, Alvaro Lopes, Garçia Goterres, Afonso Basques, Fernan Basques, jurados, Pero de Plazer, procurador do dito Conçello, diseron que por rason que algũus mercadores e suas mercadorias e navios se temian e reçeavan de vĩir a esta dita billa e seu porto con as ditas suas mercadorias e navios, entendendo de seer prendados e penorados por las mercadorias que Gonçalvo Correa tomara eno dito porto e levara ẽna barcha chamada per nome "Rostro Fremoso"

     Pedro Ares de Aldán, lieutenant in this town [Pontevedra] and it's towers on behalf of our lord the archbishop of Santiago Don Lopo, and Pedro Falcón, judge; Xoán Garcia Rouco, Lourenzo Yanes de Pastoriza, mayors; Álvaro López, Garcia Gotérrez, Afonso Vázquez, Fernán Vázquez, councilors; Pedro de Placer, town agent; they said that since certain merchants and their goods and ships feared and distrusted coming to this town and harbor with their mentioned goods and ships, believing that they would be seized and confiscated because of the trade goods that Gonzalo Correa took at this harbor and carried away in the ship named "Beauty Face";

Related terms

• alcaldía

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “alcalde”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “alcalde”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “alcalde”, 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), “alcalde”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “alcalde”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish alcalde, from Arabic اَلْقَاضِي (al-qāḍī, “judge”).

Noun

alcalde m (plural alcalzi)

1. alcalde

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	alcalde	alcaldeul		alcalzi	alcalzii
genitive-dative	alcalde	alcaldeului		alcalzi	alcalzilor
vocative	alcaldeule			alcalzilor

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish alcalde, alcalle, from Arabic اَلْقَاضِي (al-qāḍī, “the judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈkalde/ [alˈkal̪.d̪e]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alde
• Syllabification: al‧cal‧de

Noun

alcalde m (plural alcaldes, feminine alcaldesa, feminine plural alcaldesas)

1. mayor (the leader of a city or a municipality)

   Synonyms: (Argentina) intendente, edil

2. (Spain, Southwestern US) an official such as an administrator, mayor, or judge

   Synonym: oficial

3. (card games) A variation of brisca for three players, that is played with the forty-card pack of Spanish-suited playing cards.

Derived terms

• alcaldable
• alcaldada
• alcalde de la cuadra
• alcalde de la hermandad
• alcalde de la Mesta
• alcalde mayor
• alcalde ordinario
• alcalde pedáneo
• alcaldía
• tener el padre alcalde
• vicealcalde (deputy mayor)

 

Descendants

• → English: alcalde
• → Classical Nahuatl: alcalde
• → Tagalog: alkalde
• → Western Highland Chatino: rle

See also

• burgomaestre
• edil

Further reading

• “alcalde”, 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