apuñalar
/apuɲaˈlaɾ/
The English word "shank" is translated into Spanish as apuñalar.
Meaning: lower part of the leg (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/apuɲaˈlaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word puñal comes from the Vulgar Latin 'punialem', which is related to the Latin word 'pugnus' meaning 'fist'.
- Despite the violent meaning of apuñalar, the root puñal is used in some traditional Spanish dances to represent duel scenes with prop daggers.
- In some Latin American dialects, puñalada (the noun for a stab wound) is used colloquially to describe a sharp, sudden emotional pain or a shocking piece of news.
Examples in context
- El carnicero cortó la pata del corderoThe butcher cut the lamb's shank
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a crime movie.
- JavierEl villano quiso apuñalar al protagonista.The villain wanted to shank the protagonist.
- LucíaSí, pero el protagonista fue más rápido.Yes, but the protagonist was faster.
- JavierCasi logra apuñalar al héroe en la pierna.He almost managed to shank the hero in the leg.
- LucíaFue una escena muy tensa, Javier.It was a very tense scene, Javier.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry apuñalar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
