A mayor or chief magistrate in a Spanish or Spanish-American town or village. The term is also used in some parts of the southwestern United States for similar local officials.
From Spanish alcalde, which comes from Arabic القَاضِي (al-qāḍī), meaning 'the judge' or 'the one who decides'. The Arabic word entered Spanish during the period of Muslim rule in Iberia (711-1492 CE). The term was later brought to the Americas by Spanish colonizers and entered English in the southwestern United States through contact with Spanish-speaking communities.
This word shows the incredible journey from Arabic courtrooms in medieval Spain to modern American city halls! The 'al-' prefix is the Arabic definite article 'the', so an alcalde is literally 'the judge' - and you can still hear this Arabic article in dozens of Spanish words that entered English.
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