adhesivo
/adeˈsibo/masculine
The Spanish word for adhesive is adhesivo.
adhesivo is a noun referring to a substance that provides or promotes adhesion. It can also function as an adjective meaning 'clinging' or 'sticky'.
Meaning: substance that provides or promotes adhesion (noun)
Which one should you use?
While adhesivo is a technical term used to describe an adhesive, the word pegamento is the more common, everyday word used to mean 'glue'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the words adhesivo and pegamento are used interchangeably to mean 'adhesive'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, the plural form is adhesivos. When used as an adjective, the form changes to adhesiva to agree with feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/adeˈsibo/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, adhesivo is used as a shorthand for a bumper sticker or a political decal, rather than the glue itself.
- The everyday word for glue, pegamento, comes from the verb pegar, which has the double meaning of 'to stick' and 'to hit'.
- The word adhesivo is derived from the Medieval Latin term adhaesīvus, which stems from the Latin verb adhaereō.
Examples in context
- ¿Podría prestarme un poco de pegamento?Could you lend me some adhesive?
- Necesitamos comprar algunos adhesivos para el proyecto.We need to buy some adhesives for the project.
- ¿Tienes algo de cola para arreglar esto?Do you have any adhesive to fix this?
- Voy a comprar goma para pegar las fotos en el álbum.I'm going to buy adhesive to stick the photos in the album.
- ¿Me prestas un poco de pega para esta manualidad?Can you lend me some adhesive for this craft project?
- El adhesivo es muy fuerte.The adhesive is very strong.
- Necesito un adhesivo para la madera.I need an adhesive for the wood.
- ¿Qué tipo de adhesivo compraste?What kind of adhesive did you buy?
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are fixing a broken vase.
- SofíaAlejandro, ¿tienes algún adhesivo en el taller?Alejandro, do you have any adhesive in the workshop?
- AlejandroSí, tengo uno muy potente aquí.Yes, I have a very powerful one here.
- SofíaPerfecto, pásame ese adhesivo, por favor.Perfect, pass me that adhesive, please.
- AlejandroAquí tienes, ten cuidado al usarlo.Here you go, be careful when using it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “adhesive” translations and entries adhesivo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adhesivo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
