/ad'l ahn tah"doh/ ; Sp. /ah'dhe lahn tah"dhaw/ , n. , pl. adelantados /-dohz/ ; Sp. /-dhaws/ . Hist.
1. a governor of a province in Spain or of a Spanish colonial province.
2. any of the early explorers, conquerors, or colonizers in Spanish America.
[ 1835-45, Amer.; adelantar to go forward, deriv. of adelante in front ( a- ( ad- AD-) + delante before, for denante de in ante ) ]