Spanish word

despeñadero

Pronunciation

IPA/despeɲaˈðeɾo/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncliff

Example

Ten cuidado, hay un despeñadero al final del sendero.

Be careful, there is a cliff at the end of the trail.

Illustration for despeñadero (cliff)

More examples

Desde la carretera se ve un despeñadero impresionante.

From the road you can see an impressive cliff.

Core concept

Sheer natural precipice where the ground ends in a steep fall.

Common phrases

  • mirar desde el despeñadero

    look from the cliff

  • acercarse al despeñadero

    approach the cliff

  • cerca del despeñadero

    near the cliff

Similar words

precipicio: Very steep, deep vertical drop in the land forming a high cliff.
acantilado: Vertical rocky cliff along a coastline, a steep face overlooking the sea.
barranco: Deep, eroded ravine or gully carved out by rain or a flowing stream.
desfiladero: Narrow, steep-sided gorge forming a tight passage through rock.

Definition in Spanish

Lugar donde el terreno termina en una pendiente muy abrupta que provoca una caída pronunciada.

Word origin

Despeñadero comes from peña 'rock' via the verb despeñar (de- + peña) with the suffix -adero, indicating the place where the action of falling or throwing from rocks occurs.

Usage tips

  • The spelling includes the letter ñ, so writing it with n changes the word and its pronunciation.

Other meanings

  • precipicenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • despeñamientofall from a cliffnoun
  • despeñadofallen from a cliffadjective

Word lists with this word