Spanish Conversation · Level 109
60 words
Spanish word
lenca
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈleŋka/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)Lenca
Example
Ella es lenca.
She is Lenca.
More examples
Conocí a una lenca en el mercado.
I met a Lenca woman at the market.
Core concept
Woman of the Lenca indigenous people of Central America.
Similar words
indígena: Indigenous person belonging to a native people.
pueblo: Community sharing a common history and cultural identity.
etnia: Group with shared cultural traits and a common origin.
tribu: Small kin-based social group organized by family ties.
Definition in Spanish
Denominación de la etnia lenca y, por extensión, de la lengua tradicional hablada por ese grupo.
Word origin
The Spanish name lenca appears in colonial-era records as a transcription of a native ethnonym and came to designate both the people and their traditional language.
Usage tips
- Spanish treats ethnonyms as common nouns and keeps them lowercase, and constructions such as 'mujer lenca' versus 'lengua lenca' clarify whether the reference is to a person or to the language.
Other meanings
- Lenca languagenoun