Spanish word

pozo

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈpoθo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounwell

Example

En el pueblo hay un pozo.

There is a well in the village.

Illustration for pozo (well)

More examples

Los vecinos limpian el pozo de agua cada año.

The neighbors clean the water well every year.

Core concept

Excavated vertical shaft giving access to underground water or mineral layers.

Common phrases

  • pozo de agua

    water well

  • pozo profundo

    deep well

Similar words

fuente: Source or structure that delivers water intended for drinking and home use.
manantial: Natural source where subsurface water comes out onto the land as a spring.
cisterna: Large cisternlike tank located underground or indoors for storing collected water.
aljibe: Traditional underground water cistern used to collect and preserve rainwater.

Definition in Spanish

Estructura excavada, normalmente cilíndrica, que recoge agua o permite acceder a capas subterráneas; también se emplea para un hueco vertical en minería.

Word origin

The word pozo comes from Latin puteus 'well' and passed into Spanish through the Romance languages, yielding cognates such as Italian pozzo and Portuguese poço.

Usage tips

  • Pozo contrasts with hoyo, which means a simple pit, so pozo refers to constructed wells and mine shafts while hoyo denotes ordinary holes.

Other meanings

  • mine shaftnoun

Word lists with this word