Spanish word

derrotero

Pronunciation

IPA/deroˈteɾo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounroute

Example

Sigue el derrotero hasta la próxima isla.

Follow the route to the next island.

Illustration for derrotero (route)

More examples

Antes de zarpar, marcamos el derrotero en el mapa.

Before setting sail, we marked the route on the map.

Core concept

A continuous course connecting a sequence of waypoints.

Similar words

ruta: Course or path toward a target destination, common in everyday speech.
camino: Path or track physically used by people or vehicles.
itinerario: Scheduled sequence of movements and stops planned for a journey.
recorrido: Complete route from start to finish, emphasizing the traveled itinerary.

Definition in Spanish

Recorrido o curso que sigue una persona, un vehículo o un proyecto, usado en navegación y también en sentido figurado para indicar una trayectoria.

Word origin

From Spanish derrota 'sea route' plus the suffix -ero, originally a maritime course that later extended figuratively to a person's, vehicle's, or project's trajectory.

Usage tips

  • Typical in nautical, official, or literary contexts, while in everyday speech speakers often use ruta or trayectoria, and derrota also means 'defeat' in other contexts.

Other meanings

  • sea routenoun
  • coursenoun
  • itinerarynoun

Opposites

  • desvíodetournoun

Word lists with this word