El Dorado

noun

El Do·​ra·​do ˌel-də-ˈrä-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce El Dorado (audio)
-ˈrā-
1
: a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America
2
: a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity

Did you know?

In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch El Dorado, Spanish for "gilded one," and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, El Dorado can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas.

Examples of El Dorado in a Sentence

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The Breakers are small in size, low in numbers and start two freshmen on the offensive line, as well as a sophomore, but that didn’t prevent them from piling up another win Friday night, this time a 28-14 victory against El Dorado at Valencia High. Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025 Cal Fire has said both mudslides are linked to the 2020 El Dorado wildfire burn scar, CNN affiliate ABC7 in Los Angeles reported. Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025 In her message, Keyt thanked the El Dorado foothills community for its support of the business and for sharing fond memories at Enchanted Forest through its five years in business. Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025 The Cantina by El Dorado What: Canelo vs. Crawford Viewing Party at The Cantina. Nasha Smith, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for El Dorado

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, the gilded one

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of El Dorado was in 1596

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Cite this Entry

“El Dorado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/El%20Dorado. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.

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