Inca

Definition

A member of the group of Quechuan peoples of highland Peru who established an empire from northern Ecuador to central Chile before the Spanish conquest.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish inca, from Classical Quechua inka (“emperor”).

Example Sentences

• "To honor the spirits that take form as mountains, the Inca stoneworkers carved rock outcrops to replicate their shapes."
• "Archaeologists say the Incas, brought down by the Spanish conquest, used khipus – strands of woolen cords made from the hair of animals like llamas or alpacas – as an alternative to writing."