espelunca
Portuguese
Etymology
From Latin spēlunca, from Ancient Greek σπῆλυγξ (spêlunx), from earlier σπέος (spéos).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /is.peˈlũ.kɐ/, /es.peˈlũ.kɐ/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /iʃ.peˈlũ.kɐ/, /eʃ.peˈlũ.kɐ/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /es.peˈlũ.ka/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /(i)ʃ.pɨˈlũ.kɐ/
- Rhymes: -ũkɐ
- Hyphenation: es‧pe‧lun‧ca
Noun
espelunca f (plural espeluncas)
- cave, cavern or grotto
- (derogatory) poorly lit, dirty and messy place
- (derogatory) dive bar (disreputable or unglamorous bar)
- (derogatory) generally illegal gambling house
Further reading
- “espelunca”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
- “espelunca”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
- “espelunca”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
- “espelunca”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026
Spanish
Etymology
Noun
espelunca f (plural espeluncas)
Further reading
- “espelunca”, 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