/hoon"teuh, jun"-, hun"-/ , n.
1. a small group ruling a country, esp. immediately after a coup d'état and before a legally constituted government has been instituted.
2. a council.
3. a deliberative or administrative council, esp. in Spain and Latin America.
4. junto.
[ 1615-25; junctus, ptp. of jungere to JOIN; see JUNCTION ]
Pronunciation . When the word JUNTA was borrowed into English from Spanish in the early 17th century, its pronunciation was thoroughly Anglicized to /jun"teuh/ . The 20th century has seen the emergence and, especially in North America, the gradual predominance of the pronunciation /hoon"teuh/ , derived from Spanish /hoohn"tah/ through reassociation with the word's Spanish origins. A hybrid form /hun"teuh/ is also heard.