spaniards

IPA/spˈanɪədz/
KK[spˈænjɚdz]IPA/spˈænjərdz/

spaniards — noun

1. people who come from the country of Spain in southwestern Europe. The word refer

1.nounA1
Definition

people who come from the country of Spain in southwestern Europe. The word refers to a group of individuals of Spanish origin and is always capitalised.

Example

The Spaniards who live on this street run three popular tapas bars.

plural nationality noun naming a group

Many Spaniards eat dinner quite late, often after nine o'clock at night.

Common collocations
  • young Spaniards
  • the Spaniards
  • many Spaniards
  • Spaniards living
Synonyms
  • Spanish people

    more common in everyday speech than 'Spaniards' in some varieties of English

Grammar Patterns

plural noun referring to a nationality group

the + noun + plural verb

Usage Note

Always capitalised as a demonym. The singular form is 'Spaniard' (a Spaniard).

Common Mistakes

I met two Spanish at the party.
I met two Spaniards at the party.
'Spanish' is an adjective or a language name; the noun for a person from Spain is 'Spaniard'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'Spaniards' and 'Spanish people' refer to the same group, 'Spanish' used alone as a noun is less common and can sound dated or overly formal — most modern writers prefer 'Spanish people' or simply 'Spaniards'. 'Hispanic' is much broader: it covers anyone from a Spanish-speaking country in Latin America as well as Spain itself, whereas 'Spaniards' refers strictly to individuals born in or holding citizenship of Spain. 'Spanish' as an adjective is neutral and frequent ('Spanish cuisine', 'Spanish history'). For example: 'The Spaniards celebrated their World Cup victory' is specific to Spain; 'Hispanic voters in the US come from many different national backgrounds' is much wider; and 'Spanish people tend to eat dinner late' is a natural alternative to 'Spaniards' in everyday conversation.

Spaniards ↗Spanish ↗Spanish peopleHispanic ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Spaniard comes from the Old French word 'Espaignard', which was built on 'Espaigne' (Spain). That in turn traces back to Latin 'Hispania', the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. The suffix '-ard' was commonly used in French to form names of people from a place.