Spanish word

balsa

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈbalsa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounraft

Example

Construimos una balsa para cruzar el río.

We built a raft to cross the river.

Illustration for balsa (raft)

More examples

La tripulación encontró una balsa salvavidas vacía en la cubierta.

The crew found an empty life raft on the deck.

Core concept

Simple flat raft made from logs or planks.

Common phrases

  • balsa salvavidas

    life raft

  • balsa hinchable

    inflatable raft

  • balsa improvisada

    improvised raft

Similar words

barco: Relatively large vessel for transporting people or cargo across the sea or wide rivers.
lancha: Small engine-powered boat built for fast, short-distance trips close to shore.
bote: Small basic craft, often rowed or paddled, for short local trips on calm water.

Definition in Spanish

Embarcación muy simple e improvisada de superficie plana que sirve para flotar o cruzar aguas; por extensión, estanque o charca artificial de poca profundidad para almacenar agua.

Word origin

Most dictionaries trace balsa to Basque baltsa 'small pool', and the sense extended to improvised flat boats used to float or cross water.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Spanish balsa usually denotes an improvised flat craft, while barca or barco refer to ordinary small boats and sound less improvised.

Other meanings

  • puddlenoun
  • reservoirnoun

Word lists with this word