Spanish Conversation · Level 132
45 words
Spanish word
destetar
Pronunciation
IPA/desteˈtaɾ/
Meaning
- verbwean
Example
Mi madre me destetó cuando tenía un año.
My mother weaned me when I was one year old.
More examples
El pediatra aconseja destetar gradualmente.
The pediatrician advises weaning gradually.
Core concept
Baby leaving breastfeeding for other foods.
Common phrases
destetar al bebé
wean the baby
destetar gradualmente
wean gradually
Similar words
desmamar: Withdraws an infant from mother's milk and switches feeding to other sources.
amamantar: Nourishes an infant by giving breast milk directly.
destetarse: Stops being breastfed and begins consuming solid or alternative foods.
Definition in Spanish
Hacer que un bebé deje la lactancia materna o de cría para iniciar una alimentación diferente.
Word origin
From the separative prefix des- plus the colloquial teta "breast" and the verb suffix -ar, originally meaning "remove from the breast" and so "to wean".
Usage tips
- Used for both human infants and animals and commonly appears transitively (destetar a un bebé) or reflexively (el bebé se destetó), so expect either construction.
Opposites
- amamantarbreastfeedverb
Related words
- desteteweaningnoun
- destetadoweanedadjective