espora

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “sowing, seed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [əsˈpo.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [esˈpo.ɾa]

Noun

espora f (plural espores)

1. spore

Related terms

• esporàdic

Further reading

• “espora”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “espora”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “espora” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “espora” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Alternative forms

• espola

Etymology

Attested in local Latin documents at least since the 11th century. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *spurô (“spur”), from Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (“to kick”). Cognate of Portuguese espora, Spanish espuela, English spur, German Sporn, Old Norse spori.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [esˈpɔɾɐ]

Noun

espora f (plural esporas)

1. spur (implement that is fixed to one’s heel for prodding horses)
2. spur (naturally growing spike of an animal)
3. prod

Synonyms

• esporón

Derived terms

• espora de cabaleiro (“knight's spur”)
• esporoar
• esporoada

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “espora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “espora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “espora”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “espora”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Via Old Galician-Portuguese espora from Gothic *𐍃𐍀𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 (*spaura), from Proto-Germanic *spurô (“spur”); compare Old High German sporo, Old Norse spori.

Not to be confused with esporo (“spore”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /esˈpɔ.ɾɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /esˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /iʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /eʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /esˈpɔ.ɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/

• Hyphenation: es‧po‧ra

Noun

espora f (plural esporas)

1. spur (implement that is fixed to one’s heel for prodding horses)

   Synonym: acicate

2. spur (naturally growing spike of an animal)
3. (figuratively) stimulus, incentive

Further reading

• “espora”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Etymology 2

Verb

espora

1. inflection of esporar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “espora”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

espora

Wikipedia ^es

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “sowing, seed”) or maybe from Frankish *sporo (“spur”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈpoɾa/ [esˈpo.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -oɾa
• Syllabification: es‧po‧ra

Noun

espora f (plural esporas)

1. (botany) spore

Related terms

• esporádico
• esporangio

Further reading

• “espora”, 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