Spanish word

desvelar

Pronunciation

IPA/desβeˈlaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbkeep awake

Example

El ruido me desveló anoche.

The noise kept me awake last night.

Illustration for desvelar (keep awake)

More examples

Los nervios me desvelan antes de una presentación.

I am kept awake by nerves before a presentation.

Core concept

Silhouette awake in bed with a bright streetlight outside the window.

Common phrases

  • los nervios me desvelan

    kept awake by nerves

  • desvelarse hasta tarde

    stay up late

Similar words

despertar: Awaken someone during sleep, interrupting their rest.
privar: Deprive someone of something needed, creating an insufficiency.
trasnochar: Habitually stay up late at night, leading to sleep loss.

Definition in Spanish

Quitar el sueño a alguien; también, poner al descubierto algo que estaba oculto.

Word origin

The prefix des- plus velar (from Latin velare 'to cover') yields a verb that literally undoes a cover and therefore denotes both causing sleeplessness and exposing something.

Usage tips

  • The past participle desvelado normally describes a person deprived of sleep rather than something that has been revealed.

Other meanings

  • revealverb
  • exposeverb

Opposites

  • adormecerput to sleepverb
  • ocultarconcealverb

Related words

  • desveloinsomnianoun
  • desveladosleep-deprivedadjective

Word lists with this word