Spanish word

copla

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈkopla/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsong

Example

¿Conoces la copla que suena ahora?

Do you know the song that is playing now?

Illustration for copla (song)

More examples

Tarareé una copla mientras cocinaba.

I hummed a stanza while I cooked.

Core concept

Short folk-song verse or refrain commonly repeated in popular songs.

Common phrases

  • tararear una copla

    hum a stanza

  • recordar una copla

    recall a stanza

Similar words

estribillo: Short repeated line or phrase that returns between sections as a song's refrain.
canción: Complete musical piece with melody and lyrics forming an entire song.
estrofa: Grouped lines forming a single stanza within a poem or song.
verso: Single line or brief poetic phrase within a poem or song.

Definition in Spanish

Breve composición poética popular, frecuentemente empleada como estribillo o estrofa en canciones folclóricas.

Word origin

Derived from Latin copula 'that which joins', originally describing a compact poetic form that broadened into the popular sung refrain.

Usage tips

  • Despite resembling English copula or couple, copla denotes a poetic stanza or a folk-song style rather than a grammatical term or a pair.

Other meanings

  • folk songnoun
  • stanzanoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word