Spanish word

adobe

Pronunciation

IPA/aˈðoβe/

Meaning

  • masculine nounadobe

Example

La casa está hecha de adobe.

The house is made of adobe.

Illustration for adobe (adobe)

More examples

Las paredes de adobe mantienen la casa fresca en verano.

The adobe walls keep the house cool in summer.

Core concept

Sun-dried mud bricks used for building.

Common phrases

  • casa de adobe

    adobe house

  • pared de adobe

    adobe wall

Similar words

ladrillo: Kiln-fired clay bricks used for construction.
barro: Wet, soft mud or clay that can be shaped by hand.

Definition in Spanish

Material de construcción formado por barro moldeado que se seca al sol y se utiliza en paredes tradicionales.

Word origin

It comes from Arabic al-ṭūb 'the brick', entering Spanish during the medieval Islamic presence in Iberia and referring to sun-dried mud bricks rather than fired ones.

Usage tips

  • In Spanish adobe is often countable (adobe/adobes) and appears in set phrases like casa de adobe, while fired brick is ladrillo, so the word refers specifically to sun-dried mud construction.

Other meanings

  • earthen bricknoun
  • mudbricknoun

Opposites

  • ladrillo cocidofired bricknoun

Word lists with this word