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al·cai·de also al·cay·de

(ăl-kīdē)

The commander or governor of a fortress in Spain or Portugal.

[Spanish, from Arabic al-qā'id, the leader : al-, the + qā'id, leader, active participle of qāda, to lead; see qwd in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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