noun
hidalgo
hih-DAL-goh
noun
1
A member of the lower Spanish nobility, historically exempt from certain taxes but without a formal title.
"The old hidalgo insisted on being addressed with proper courtesy despite his empty purse."
"Don Quixote imagines himself a noble hidalgo living out chivalric adventures."
How to Use Hidalgo
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA rank of Spanish gentry below a full nobleman — genteel but often not wealthy.
Memory tip
You will most often meet this word in the context of Spanish literature, especially Don Quixote.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
hidalgos plural, hidalgoes plural
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The old _____ insisted on being addressed with proper courtesy despite his empty purse.
Etymology
From Spanish hidalgo, a contraction of the older phrase hijo de algo, literally "son of something" — meaning a man of some property or standing.