pólipo
/ˈpolipo/masculine
The Spanish word for polyp is pólipo.
pólipo refers to a growth.
Meaning: growth (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is created by adding -s to the end: pólipos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpolipo/
Did you know?
- The root of pólipo comes from the Greek 'polys' meaning 'many' and 'pous' meaning 'foot', which is why it describes the branching look of these growths.
- The Spanish word pólipo is a linguistic doublet of pulpo, which means 'octopus'. Both words share the same ancient root referring to 'many feet'.
- The word pólipo is an esdrújula word, meaning the stress is always on the third-to-last syllable.
Examples in context
- Mi madre tuvo un pólipo en el colon.My mother had a polyp in her colon.
- Me encontraron un bultito en el intestino.They found a small lump in my intestine.
- El médico detectó un pólipo en el colon.The doctor detected a polyp in the colon.
- Es un pólipo benigno y no es peligroso.It is a benign polyp and is not dangerous.
- Tienen que extirpar el pólipo durante la cirugía.They have to remove the polyp during the surgery.
Example conversation
Lucía is discussing her medical results with Daniel.
- LucíaDaniel, el doctor dijo que tengo un pólipo.Daniel, the doctor said that I have a polyp.
- Daniel¡Vaya! ¿Es algo grave, Lucía?Wow! Is it something serious, Lucía?
- LucíaNo, pero deben extirpar el pólipo pronto.No, but they must remove the polyp soon.
- DanielEntiendo, espero que todo salga bien.I understand, I hope everything goes well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “polyp” translations and entries pólipo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pólipo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
