Spanish word

murciélago

Pronunciation

IPA/muɾˈθjelaɣo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounbat

Example

Anoche vi un murciélago en el jardín.

Last night I saw a bat in the garden.

Illustration for murciélago (bat)

More examples

Los murciélagos salen al anochecer para buscar insectos.

Bats come out at dusk to look for insects.

Core concept

Nocturnal flying mammal that locates prey by echolocation and feeds on insects or small animals.

Common phrases

  • colonia de murciélagos

    bat colony

  • cueva de murciélagos

    bat cave

  • mordedura de murciélago

    bat bite

Similar words

mamífero: Warm-blooded animal that nurses its young with milk and usually has fur.
pájaro: Feathered animal that flies and lays eggs, typically active by day.
búho: Night-active bird with soft, silent flight that hunts small animals and insects.

Definition in Spanish

Mamífero que se desplaza volando por la noche mediante unas alas membranosas; muchas especies localizan presas por ecolocación y son activos al anochecer.

Word origin

Murciélago derives from medieval Spanish murçielago, which reflects Latin mūs 'mouse' plus a later formative element to describe a mouse-like flyer.

Usage tips

  • In Spanish descriptive phrases the descriptor usually follows the noun, as in murciélago vampiro for vampire bat rather than vampiro murciélago, and the plural is murciélagos.

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