# caudillo

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɔˈdiː(j)oʊ/

## Definitions
1. A leader.
2. A military dictator, especially one ruling in Spain, Portugal or Latin America.

## Etymology
From Spanish caudillo, from Late Latin capitellum, based on Latin caput, capitis (“head”). Doublet of caddie, cadel, cadet, capital, and capitellum. More possible, from kaput and ili (iri, ür, uri: town), from Basque language. In Iberian ili is high point, high city.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caudillo