Spanish Conversation · Level 50
75 words
Spanish word
melena
Pronunciation
IPA/meˈlena/
Meaning
- feminine nounmane
Example
El león tiene una melena impresionante.
The lion has an impressive mane.
More examples
Se cortó la melena para cambiar de imagen.
She cut her long hair to change her image.
Core concept
Long, abundant hair gathered around the head and upper neck, noticeably full and heavy.
Common phrases
melena suelta
loose mane
peinar la melena
comb the mane
melena abundante
thick mane
Similar words
pelo: Hair covering the body or head, ordinary everyday hair with no special emphasis.
cabello: Hair growing on the head and scalp, neutral about style or length.
cabellera: A large, thick mass of long head hair, lush and visually striking.
Definition in Spanish
Pelo largo y abundante alrededor de la cabeza o del cuello, usado tanto en algunos animales como en personas.
Word origin
Via medieval Latin and Romance-language descendants, Spanish melena names luxuriant hair that forms a prominent fringe around the head and nape.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech melena usually signals a dramatic or styled look rather than ordinary long hair and appears in set phrases like tener melena and llevar melena.