abuelo
Spanish
Alternative forms
- agüelo (eye dialect)
Etymology
Origin uncertain. Possibly from Latin *aviōlus, from Classical Latin avus (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os (“grandfather”)) + -olus.[1]. Compare Asturian güelu, French aïeul, Galician avó, Portuguese avô.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈbwelo/, [aˈβwelo]
- (dialectal) IPA(key): /aˈwelo/
- (dialectal) IPA(key): /aɡˈwelo/, [aɣˈwelo]
Noun
abuelo m (plural abuelos, feminine abuela, feminine plural abuelas)
- grandfather
- Su abuelo es simpático.
- His grandfather is nice.
- (colloquial, affectionate) an elderly person
- loose tufts of hair in the nape when one's hair is messed up
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.
Synonyms
- (loose tufts of hair): tolano
References
- Joan Coromines, Breve Diccionario Etimológico de la Lengua Castellana
Further reading
- “abuelo” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
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