Spanish Conversation · Level 23
90 words
Spanish word
paja
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈpaxa/
Meaning
- feminine nounstraw
Example
El agricultor recoge la paja del campo.
The farmer gathers the straw from the field.
More examples
No perdamos el tiempo con esa discusión, eso es solo paja.
Let's not waste time on that argument; that's just nonsense.
Core concept
Light, dry leftover stalks and leaves from cereal crops.
Common phrases
montón de paja
pile of straw
cama de paja
straw bed
paja seca
dry straw
Similar words
pajita: Thin short tube used for sipping drinks.
heno: Cut, dried grass stored as animal fodder for livestock.
Definition in Spanish
Designa los tallos y hojas secas de cereales o plantas tras la cosecha.
Word origin
From Latin palea meaning 'chaff' or 'husk', entering Spanish through Romance evolution to denote the dry plant material left after threshing.
Usage tips
- Outside farming contexts, paja often carries coarse colloquial senses, so it is safest to use it only for straw.
Other meanings
- nonsensenoun
Related words
- pajilladrinking strawnoun
- pajarhayloftnoun