bolsillo

Spanish

Etymology

Diminutive, from bolso +‎ -illo.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bolˈsiʝo/ [bolˈsi.ʝo]

• IPA^(key): /bolˈsiʝo/ [bolˈsi.ʝo] (most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /bolˈsiʎo/ [bolˈsi.ʎo] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /bolˈsiʃo/ [bolˈsi.ʃo] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /bolˈsiʒo/ [bolˈsi.ʒo] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

 

• Rhymes: -iʝo

• Rhymes: -iʝo (most of Spain and Latin America)
• Rhymes: -iʎo (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃo (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒo (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Syllabification: bol‧si‧llo

Noun

bolsillo m (plural bolsillos)

1. pocket

   ¡Sácame del bolsillo!

   Take me out of your pocket! [Spanish cellphone ringtone]

   • 1991, J. R. R. Tolkien, translated by Manuel Figueroa, El Hobbit:

     —¿Qué tengo en el bolsillo? —dijo, en voz alta.

     "What do I have in my pocket?" he said, aloud.

2. pocketbook (personal resources)

Derived terms

• aflojar el bolsillo
• bolsillo de parche
• de bolsillo
• encendedor de bolsillo
• libro de bolsillo
• pañuelo de bolsillo
• protector de bolsillo
• rascarse el bolsillo
• reloj de bolsillo
• teatro de bolsillo

Related terms

• bolsa
• bolso

Further reading

• “bolsillo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• bolillos