spaniard

IPA/ˈspænjəd/
KK[spˈænjɚd]IPA/ˈspænjərd/

spaniard — noun

1. someone who comes from Spain or has Spanish nationality

1.nounB1
Definition

someone who comes from Spain or has Spanish nationality

Example

A young Spaniard showed us the safest path through the old town.

countable noun: a Spaniard

At dinner, Lucia sat beside a Spaniard who worked on the ferry.

Common collocations
  • a Spaniard
  • two Spaniards
  • young Spaniard
  • fellow Spaniard
Synonyms
  • Spanish person

    neutral everyday phrase that is slightly less compact than Spaniard

  • Spanish national

    more official, often used in news or legal contexts

  • citizen of Spain

    formal descriptive phrase that stresses nationality rather than identity

Grammar Patterns

a Spaniard

two Spaniards

Usage Note

Names one individual from Spain. Use Spanish as the adjective ('a Spanish painter', 'She is Spanish'), and use the Spanish with a plural verb when you mean the people of Spain as a group.

Common Mistakes

She met a Spanish on the train.
She met a Spaniard on the train.
'Spanish' alone is not the usual count noun for one person from Spain.
He is Spaniard.
He is a Spaniard.
As a singular count noun, 'Spaniard' normally needs an article.
The Spaniard are waiting outside.
The Spaniard is waiting outside.
With one person, 'Spaniard' takes a singular verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spaniard is the most compact everyday noun for one person from Spain. Spanish person means the same thing, but it sounds more descriptive and is often chosen when the writer wants a plain, transparent phrase. Spanish national is more official and appears often in news reports, travel rules, or legal writing where citizenship matters. The Spanish is different again: it names the people of Spain as a group, not one individual, and it takes a plural verb. Example: You can say A Spaniard helped us at the station or A Spanish person helped us at the station, but you would say The Spanish are voting today when you mean the nation as a whole.

Spaniard ↗Spanish personSpanish nationalthe Spanish

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a Spaniard
  • two Spaniards
  • fellow Spaniard

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Spaniard comes from the country name Spain, which goes back to the Latin name Hispania. The ending -ard entered English through French and is found in some nouns for people. By late Middle English, English used Spaniard specifically for a person from Spain. Unlike Spanish, which can be an adjective or the name of the language, Spaniard stayed a noun for a person.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined above