cabecilla

Spanish

Etymology

From cabeza +‎ -cilla.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kabeˈθiʝa/ [ka.β̞eˈθi.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain)
IPA^(key): /kabeˈθiʎa/ [ka.β̞eˈθi.ʎa] (rural northern Spain)

IPA^(key): /kabeˈsiʝa/ [ka.β̞eˈsi.ʝa] (most of Latin America)
IPA^(key): /kabeˈsiʎa/ [ka.β̞eˈsi.ʎa] (Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)

IPA^(key): /kabeˈsiʃa/ [ka.β̞eˈsi.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
IPA^(key): /kabeˈsiʒa/ [ka.β̞eˈsi.ʒa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

Rhymes: -iʝa (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
Rhymes: -iʎa (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
Rhymes: -iʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
Rhymes: -iʒa (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

Syllabification: ca‧be‧ci‧lla

Noun

cabecilla m or f by sense (plural cabecillas)

leader, boss
Synonyms: jefe, líder
diminutive of cabeza

Further reading

“cabecilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025