Spanish word

totora

Pronunciation

IPA/toˈtoɾa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounreed

Example

En el lago crece totora.

A reed grows in the lake.

Illustration for totora (reed)

More examples

Construyen balsas con totora en la orilla.

They build reed rafts on the shore.

Core concept

Clumps of robust aquatic reeds lining the edges of Andean wetlands.

Common phrases

  • construir con totora

    build with reeds

  • isla de totora

    reed island

  • balsas de totora

    reed rafts

Similar words

carrizo: Stiff-stemmed waterside plant that grows in tall, dense stands along shorelines.
junco: Slender, flexible-stemmed marsh plant with thin shoots that bend in water.
caña: Hard, jointed-stem perennial cane serving construction and everyday items.

Definition in Spanish

Tipo de caña acuática que crece en orillas de lagos y humedales andinos; sus tallos gruesos se aprovechan para fabricar objetos y construcciones tradicionales.

Word origin

Totora is borrowed into Spanish from an Andean indigenous form tutura, naming the robust aquatic reed whose thick stems serve for objects and small constructions.

Usage tips

  • Totora often appears in local or tourist contexts to mean that specific bulrush species, so translating it simply as 'reed' can miss its cultural and material specificity.

Other meanings

  • bulrushnoun

Related words

  • totoralreed bednoun

Word lists with this word