abuela
Spanish
Etymology
Feminine of abuelo. From Vulgar Latin *aviōla, from Latin avia. Compare French aïeule, Galician avoa, Portuguese avó.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈbwela/, [aˈβwela]
- (dialectal) IPA(key): /aˈwela/
- (dialectal) IPA(key): /aɡˈwela/, [aɣˈwela]
- Rhymes: -ela
Noun
abuela f (plural abuelas, masculine abuelo, masculine plural abuelos)
- grandmother, female equivalent of abuelo
- (colloquial) old woman
- (Mexico) a kind of flying ant (clarification of this definition is needed)
Usage notes
The noun abuelo is like several other Spanish nouns with a human referent. The masculine forms are used when the referent is known to be male, a group of males, a group of mixed or unknown gender, or an individual of unknown or unspecified gender. The feminine forms are used if the referent is known to be female or a group of females.
Derived terms
- abuelita (diminutive)
References
- “abuela” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
- Schoenhals, Louise C. (1988) A Spanish - English Glossary of Mexican Flora and Fauna, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 211
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