n., pl., Inca, or -cas, also Inka or -kas.
- 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.
- A ruler or high-ranking member of the Inca empire.
- A member of any of the peoples ruled by the Incas.
[Spanish, from Quechua inka, ruler, man of royal lineage.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
