Spanish word

pelo

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈpelo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounhair

Example

Voy a lavarme el pelo ahora.

I'm going to wash my hair now.

Illustration for pelo (hair)

More examples

Voy a secarme el pelo después de la ducha.

I'm going to dry my hair after the shower.

Core concept

Collective hair on the head or the fine hair covering the body.

Common phrases

  • lavarse el pelo

    wash one's hair

  • cortarse el pelo

    have one's hair cut

  • peinarse el pelo

    comb one's hair

  • secarse el pelo

    dry one's hair

Similar words

cabello: Hair that grows on the scalp, typically thicker and styled.
vello: Short, fine hair on the body or face, like peach fuzz.
mechón: Lock or tuft of hair forming a distinct small bundle.
melena: Long head hair reaching the neck or beyond, forming a mane-like mass.

Definition in Spanish

Cada filamento fino que nace de la piel; por extensión, el conjunto que forma el cabello en la cabeza o el vello en el cuerpo.

Word origin

Pelo comes from Latin pilus through medieval Romance and functions as the everyday general term for hair, distinct from the formal cabello (from capillus) and the finer vello (from villus).

Usage tips

  • Spanish normally expresses hair qualities with tener el pelo + adjective rather than using ser + adjective.

Other meanings

  • furnoun
  • body hairnoun

Opposites

  • calviciebaldnessnoun
  • alopeciaalopecianoun

Related words

Word lists with this word