alcaldía

mayor's office; mayoralty

noun ahl-kahl-DEE-ah Rare

Origin: From Arabic al-qāḍī (the judge), via alcalde.

Usage Note

Alcaldía refers both to the office or position of mayor (ganar la alcaldía, 'to win the mayorship') and to the physical building of the mayor's office or city hall — the latter sense is especially common in Latin America, where alcaldía often replaces ayuntamiento (the term more typical in Spain). The mayor is el/la alcalde/alcaldesa. The Arabic etymology (al-qāḍī) also underlies alcalde.

Examples

"La alcaldía anunció nuevas obras en el centro."

Natural Translation

The mayor's office announced new works downtown.

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