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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ An Indigenous language 🧑‍🌾 An Indigenous group
Kechua

Kechua

9.9
A person from a native people in Peru who was once part of the Inca ruling class
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛtʃuə/
translation icon : quechua
  • The Kechua were once the ruling class of the vast Incan Empire.

Examples

  • The Kechua people have a rich cultural heritage.

  • Many Kechuas still practice traditional farming methods.

  • A large population of Kechua still resides in the highlands of Peru.

  • Many Kechua maintain traditions and crafts passed down for generations.

  • A large population of Kechua still resides in the highlands of Peru.

  • Many Kechua maintain traditions and crafts passed down for generations.

  • The Kechua were once the ruling class of the vast Incan Empire.

Synonyms

Inca
vsKechua
23 5.8

A people who built a large empire in Peru before the Spanish came

is focused on membership in a specific indigenous group formerly ruling
Incan
vsKechua
1 7.9

A person from the Inca people who lived near Cuzco in Peru

is broader, naming members of the same ethnic group across Peru
South American Indian
vsKechua
  • Archaic
1 5.1

A person from the native peoples of South America before European arrival

is narrower, naming a particular Peruvian group formerly in power
Quechua
vsKechua
9.6

A person from the native people of the Andes who once ruled in the Inca Empire

is the same group term but uses a different spelling

Surface Forms

Kechua singular
Kechuas plural

Etymology

Kechua comes from the people's own name, usually written Quechua or Kichwa, which comes from a local word meaning 'valley', so the name points to the indigenous people of the Andean valleys who were once the ruling class of the Inca Empire.