17 August 2018

cacique

[kuh-seek]

noun

1. a chief of an Indian clan or tribe in Mexico and the West Indies.
2. (in Spain and Latin America) a political boss on a local level.
3. (in the Philippines) a prominent landowner.
4. any of several black and red or black and yellow orioles of the American tropics that construct long, pendent nests.

Origin of cacique

Spanish, Taino
1545-1555; < Spanish < Taino (Hispaniola)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cacique

Contemporary Examples

It is from the perspective of a Mexican cacique on his deathbed.
My Father Sergio Muñoz Bata’s Friendship With Novelist Carlos Fuentes
Lorenza Muñoz
May 16, 2012

Historical Examples

He sat in the midst of a circle of lamplighters, and was the cacique, or chief of the tribe.
The Lamplighter
Charles Dickens

He was the cacique of the Sun and he was vexed because he had not been called earlier.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

Today’s quote

Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand.

– Baruch Spinoza

On this day

17 August 1786 – birth of Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, King of the Wild Frontier. Died 6 March 1836.

17 August 1896 – Bridget Driscoll becomes the first car accident fatality after being run over by a Benz car in the grounds of the Crystal Palace, London, England.

17 August 1908 – the world’s first animated cartoon, Fantasmagorie by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris.

17 August 1930 – birth of Ted Hughes, English poet, children’s writer. Has been described as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes married American poet, Sylvia Plath in 1957. They separated in 1962 after she discovered he was having an affair with Assia Wevill, a German-born Jewish woman who escaped the Nazis during World War II. Plath suicided six months after the separation, at the age of 30. Plath had a history of suicide attempts and there is conjecture that her death could have been accidental as she had left a note to call her doctor. However, others believe the effort put into this attempt indicate that she intended to kill herself. Plath died from carbon monoxide poisoning after placing her head in a gas oven with the gas turned on. She had sealed the rooms between her and her sleeping children, with wet towels to ensure the gas didn’t harm the children. Hughes was devastated by her suicide and stopped writing poetry for three years. He had been having an affair with Assia Wevill and eventually had a child to her. Their daughter was named Alexandra Tatiana Elise (nicknamed ‘Shura’). In 1969, Wevill also suicided in the same manner as Sylvia Plath, by sealing the kitchen door and window, and turning on the gas stove. Whereas Plath had protected her children from the gas, Wevill gave 4 year old Shura a sleeping tablet mixed in a glass of water. Their bodies were found laying on a mattress in the kitchen. Some blamed Hughes for both suicides, alleging that he was abusive to both women. Hughes was unable to finish his poetry series, ‘The Crow’ after the death of Wevill. In 1970, he married Carol Orchard, who remained his wife until his death. From 1984, Hughes served as Poet Laureate. Died 28 October 1998.

17 August 1970 – Russia launches the Venera 7 spacecraft, which becomes the first man-made object to land on Venus (15 December 1970)

17 August 1980 – Azaria Chamberlain is reported missing at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory. Initially it was claimed that a dingo took her. In 1982, her mother, Lindy Chamberlain was tried for murder. Her husband, Michael, was charged for being an accessory after the fact. After three years in prison, Lindy was released after a piece of the baby’s clothing was found near a dingo’s lair. In 2012, a coroner confirmed the Chamberlain’s version of events that a dingo had taken Azaria.

17 August 1987 – death of Rudolf Hess, prominent Nazi politician who served as Deputy Fuhrer under Adolf Hitler. In 1941, Hess flew solo to Scotland in an effort to negotiate peace after being ignored by Hitler in various plans associated with the war. The flight was not sanctioned by Hitler. Hess was taken prisoner and charged with crimes against peace. He served a life sentence and remained in prison until his death. Born 26 April 1894.