/fing"keuh/ ; Sp. /feeng"kah/ , n. , pl. fincas /-keuhz/ ; Sp. /-kahs/ .
a ranch or large farm in a Spanish-speaking country, esp. a plantation in tropical Spanish America.
[ 1905-10; income from a property > the property itself), deriv. of OSp fincar to remain, stative deriv. of fincar (Sp hincar ) to drive in, fix, sink (a nail), alter. of ficar ( figicare, for L figere; cf. FICHU), with -n- perh. from dial. finsar to mark out (ult. fixare; see FIX) ]