Spanish word

palito

Pronunciation

IPA/paˈlito/

Meaning

  • masculine nounstick

Example

Usé un palito para remover el café.

I used a stick to stir the coffee.

Illustration for palito (stick)

More examples

Me pinché con un palito de helado.

I pricked myself with a popsicle stick.

Core concept

Small wooden or plastic stick for spearing snacks and stirring drinks.

Common phrases

  • palito de dientes

    toothpick

  • palito de helado

    popsicle stick

  • palito de madera

    wooden stick

Similar words

palillo: Thin wooden stick used as a toothpick.
mondadientes: Very small implement for removing bits of food from between the teeth.
pincho: Short pointed skewer for spearing and serving bite-sized appetizers.
palo: Stiff rod of wood or metal used as a simple tool, support, or handle.

Definition in Spanish

Pieza pequeña y delgada, generalmente de madera o plástico, usada para pinchar alimentos, remover bebidas o como utensilio auxiliar.

Word origin

From palo 'stick' plus the diminutive suffix -ito, with palo ultimately from Latin palus meaning 'stake', so palito denotes a little stick.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used for a toothpick or a disposable drink stirrer, though many speakers use palillo or mondadientes specifically for 'toothpick', so matching the local term avoids misunderstanding.

Other meanings

  • twignoun

Word lists with this word