espada

See also: Espada

Languages (14)

English

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Asturian • Cebuano • French • Galician • Ilocano • Kinaray-a • Ladino • Occitan • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old Spanish • Portuguese • Spanish • Tagalog

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Page categories

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish espada (“sword”). Doublet of epee, spade, spatha, and spathe.

Noun

espada (plural espadas)

1. (bullfighting) A matador.
   • 1891, The Living Age, volume 190, page 653:

     That first day taught me I could be an espada. The only doubt in my mind was in regard to the nature of the bulls.

Anagrams

• spadea

Asturian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin spatha (“a type of sword”), from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “broad blade”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpada/ [esˈpa.ð̞a]
• Rhymes: -ada
• Syllabification: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada f (plural espades)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)

Derived terms

• pexe espada

Related terms

• espalda

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpada/ [ʔes̪ˈpa.d̪ɐ]
• Hyphenation: es‧pa‧da

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish espada, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē).

Noun

espada (Badlit spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜇ)

1. a sword
2. (euphemistic) the penis

Etymology 2

After the appearance of its leaves.

Noun

espada (Badlit spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜇ)

1. the African spear (Sansevieria cylindrica)

Etymology 3

Compare sili espada.

Noun

espada (Badlit spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜇ)

1. a long, thin, bright green chili closely resembling the cayenne and Basque Fryer peppers

French

Noun

espada m or f by sense (plural espadas)

1. bullfighter

Galician

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese espada, from Latin spatha (“a type of sword”), from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “broad blade”). Doublet of espata.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpada/ [es̺ˈpa.ð̞ɐ]
• Rhymes: -ada
• Hyphenation: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)

Derived terms

• peixe espada

Ilocano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish espada.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpada/ [ʔesˈpa.da]
• Hyphenation: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada (Kur-itan spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜇ)

1. sword

   Synonym: kampilan

Kinaray-a

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish espada.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpada/, [ʔesˈpa.da]

Noun

espada

1. sword

Ladino

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish espada, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē).

Noun

espada f (Hebrew spelling איספאדה)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)

   Todos los ke toman espada, kon espada se deperderan.

   All who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

Derived terms

• a tajo de espada

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)

   Synonym: espasa

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin spatham, accusative of spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “blade”).

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)

Descendants

• Galician: espada
• Portuguese: espada

Old Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin spatham, accusative of spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “blade”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpada/

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)
   • between 1140 and 1207, Anonymous (or Per Abbat), Cantar de mío Cid 58:

     Myo çid Ruy diaz el que en buẽ ora çinxo eſpada

     My Cid, Ruy Díaz, who at a good time he girded himself with a sword (common epithet of the Cid)

   • ca. 1250, Alfonso X, Lapidario f. 64r.:

     De natura es fria & humida / Et fazen della mangos pora cuchiello & pora eſpadas

     It is cold and damp in nature, and they make handles for knives and swords out of it

   • ca. 1250, Alfonso X, Lapidario f. 103v.:

     la uertud dela figura de om̃e cauallero ſobre un leon, & que tenga en la mano dieſtra eſpada deſnuda, & en la ſinieſtra cabeça de om̃e

     the virtue of the figure of a knightly man riding a lion, with an unsheathed sword at his right hand and the head of a man at his left hand

Related terms

• espalda

Descendants

• Ladino: espada, איספאדה
• Spanish: espada

Portuguese

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

espada

Wikipedia ^pt

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese espada, through prothesis from Latin spatha (“a type of sword”), from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “broad blade”), likely from Proto-Indo-European *sph₂-dʰ-.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpa.dɐ/, /esˈpa.dɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpa.dɐ/, /esˈpa.dɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /iʃˈpa.dɐ/, /eʃˈpa.dɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /esˈpa.da/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃˈpa.dɐ/ [(i)ʃˈpa.ðɐ]

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -adɐ
• Hyphenation: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)
2. (fencing) épée
3. singular of espadas (“spades”) (one of the four suits of playing cards)

Derived terms

• entre a cruz e a espada
• peixe-espada

Related terms

• espadachim
• espadada
• espadarte
• espadas
• espadeirada
• espadeirão
• espadeirar
• espadeiro
• espadilha
• espadim

Descendants

• → Bengali: ইস্পাত (iśpat) (see there for further descendants)
• → Gujarati: ઇસપાત (isapāt)
• → Hindustani: (see there for further descendants)

  Hindi: इस्पात (ispāt)

  Urdu: اسپات (ispāt)

• → Japanese: スベタ
• → Maithili:

  Devanagari script: इसपात (isᵊpāt)

  Tirhuta script: 𑒃𑒮𑒣𑒰𑒞 (isapāta)

Further reading

• “espada”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “espada”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

espada

Wikipedia ^es

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish espada, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē). Doublet of espata.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpada/ [esˈpa.ð̞a]
• Rhymes: -ada
• Syllabification: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada f (plural espadas)

1. (countable) sword (a long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack)
2. (usually in the plural) spade (playing card marked with the symbol ♠)
3. (fencing) épée (fencing sword of a certain modern type)
4. (heraldry) sword (the weapon used as a heraldic charge)

Noun

espada m or f by sense (plural espadas)

1. (bullfighting) matador (person whose aim is to kill the bull in a bullfight)

Derived terms

• a capa y espada
• comedia de capa y espada
• con la espada desnuda
• danza de espadas
• desceñirse la espada
• desnudar la espada
• entrar espada en mano
• entre la espada y la pared
• espada de Damocles
• espada de dos filos
• espada de marca
• espada en cinta
• espada larga
• espadaña
• espadero
• la pluma es más poderosa que la espada
• librar la espada
• mozo de espadas
• pez espada
• planta espada
• presentar la espada
• primero espada

Related terms

• espalda

Suits in Spanish · palos (layout · text)
corazones	diamantes	picas	tréboles

Spanish suits in Spanish · palos (layout · text)
espadas	copas	oros	bastos

Descendants

• → Cebuano: espada
• → Japanese: スベタ
• → Karao: ispada
• → Classical Nahuatl: espada
• → Romanian: espadă
• → Tagalog: espada

Further reading

• “espada”, 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

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish espada, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē). Compare Tausug ispara.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpada/ [ʔɛsˈpaː.d̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -ada
• Syllabification: es‧pa‧da

Noun

espada (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜇ)

1. sword

   Synonym: (archaic) kalis

2. (colloquial) swordplay

   Synonym: espadahan

3. (card games) spade
4. swordfish

   Synonyms: dugso, isdang-espada

5. sword plant
6. a kind of aquatic plant with fibrous roots

   Synonym: lanting

7. (LGBTQ slang) penis

   Synonyms: uten, titi

Derived terms

• espadahan
• espadahin
• isdang-espada

See also

• Spanish suits in Tagalog · barahang-kastila (layout · text)
  espada	kopas	oros	bastos

• sable

Further reading

• “espada”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.