Spanish Conversation · Level 154
30 words
Spanish word
alfil
Pronunciation
IPA/alˈfil/
Meaning
- masculine nounbishop
Example
El alfil se mueve en diagonal.
The bishop moves diagonally.
More examples
Ayer jugué con amigos y capturé el alfil del rival.
Yesterday I played with friends and captured the opponent's bishop.
Core concept
Chess piece that moves diagonally any distance along unobstructed squares.
Similar words
obispo: Christian cleric who oversees a diocese and carries out religious leadership duties.
pieza: Generic chess or board-game piece used to represent a player's unit on the board.
caballo: Chess piece that moves in an L-shaped pattern and can jump over intervening pieces.
torre: Chess piece that moves straight along ranks and files any distance until blocked.
Definition in Spanish
Pieza del ajedrez que se mueve diagonalmente a cualquier distancia por casillas libres y no puede saltar sobre otras piezas.
Word origin
From Arabic al-fil 'the elephant', ultimately from Persian fil 'elephant', a name that reflects medieval chess sets depicting this piece as an elephant.
Usage tips
- Alfil is masculine in Spanish (el alfil) and denotes only the chess piece, while a church bishop is obispo, so the two words are not interchangeable in game talk.