durmiente

Spanish

Etymology

From dormir (“to sleep”) +‎ -iente. The sense “railway sleeper” is a semantic loan from English sleeper.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /duɾˈmjente/ [d̪uɾˈmjẽn̪.t̪e]
• Rhymes: -ente
• Syllabification: dur‧mien‧te

Adjective

durmiente m or f (masculine and feminine plural durmientes)

1. sleeping, who sleeps

   La bella durmiente. ― The sleeping beauty.

2. (heraldry) dormant

Derived terms

• célula durmiente (“sleeper cell”)

Noun

durmiente m or f by sense (plural durmientes)

1. sleeper (person or creature who is sleeping)
2. (rail transport, Latin America) railway sleeper, tie

   Synonym: traviesa

Derived terms

• los siete durmientes

Further reading

• “durmiente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024