Spanish word

afilar

Pronunciation

IPA/afiˈlaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbsharpen

Example

¿Puedes afilar el cuchillo?

Can you sharpen the knife?

Illustration for afilar (sharpen)

More examples

Necesito afilar la navaja antes de afeitarme.

I need to sharpen the razor before I shave.

Core concept

A sharpening stone rubbing a dull blade to produce a keen edge.

Common phrases

  • afilar la navaja

    sharpen the razor

  • afilar los cuchillos

    sharpen the knives

  • afilar un lápiz

    sharpen a pencil

Similar words

amolar: Sharpens through more abrasive grinding or filing that removes dull metal.
sacar filo: Brings forth or restores an edge on a blade by lightly honing or sharpening.

Definition in Spanish

Dar a algo una punta o un filo más pronunciado; se usa para objetos cortantes y, en sentido figurado, para agudizar cualidades.

Word origin

From Latin filum 'thread' through Vulgar Latin, the root idea of making thin becomes the action of producing a finer, keener cutting edge.

Usage tips

  • Afilar normally takes a direct object in Spanish (afilar el cuchillo), but it also appears in figurative collocations such as afilar la mirada or afilar el ingenio.

Opposites

  • embotardullverb
  • desgastarwear downverb

Related words

  • afilantesharpadjective
  • afiladorsharpenernoun

Word lists with this word