acebo
/aˈθebo/masculine
The Spanish word for holly is acebo.
The term acebo refers to any of the various shrubs or small trees belonging to the genus Ilex.
Meaning: any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Ilex (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
acebo is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈθebo/
Did you know?
- In Spain, the acebo is often associated with the winter solstice and ancient pagan rites of protection before it became a symbol of Christmas.
- The word acebo is a linguistic fossil from the Latin word aquifolium, which literally means 'water-leaf'.
- In Spanish, the term muérdago is often confused with acebo because both are used as Christmas decorations, but muérdago is actually a parasitic plant that grows on other trees.
Examples in context
- Compré un precioso acebo para decorar la casa en Navidad.I bought a beautiful holly to decorate the house at Christmas.
- Me encantan las hojas verdes y brillantes del agrifolio.I love the shiny green leaves of the holly.
- El acebo tiene hojas verdes y brillantes.The holly has green and shiny leaves.
- Compré un pequeño acebo para la decoración.I bought a small holly for decoration.
- Ese acebo tiene bayas rojas muy bonitas.That holly has very pretty red berries.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are decorating their house for the holidays.
- MateoMira estas ramas de acebo para la mesa.Look at these holly branches for the table.
- MaríaSon muy bonitas, Mateo.They are very pretty, Mateo.
- MateoEl acebo combina bien con el rojo.Holly goes well with red.
- MaríaTienes razón, pongámoslas aquí.You are right, let's put them here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holly” translations and entries acebo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries acebo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
