A shallow stretch under water, or a large close group of fish moving together.
Usage
Use banco for a sandbank or for a school of fish when the context is water or marine life.
Examples
El barco evitó el banco de arena.
The boat avoided the sand bank.
Vimos un banco de peces bajo el muelle.
We saw a school of fish under the pier.
La marea dejó visible un banco cerca de la costa.
The tide exposed a bank near the coast.
El sonar detectó un banco compacto de sardinas.
The sonar detected a tight school of sardines.
La lancha encalló en un banco poco profundo.
The boat ran aground on a shallow bank.
Common mistakes
The natural sense is confused with the financial word unless the surrounding words name water or fish.
Incorrect
Correct
El banco de peces pidió un préstamo.
El banco de peces nadó bajo el muelle.
La lancha entró en el banco para sacar dinero.
La lancha encalló en un banco de arena.
Vi un banco de pájaros en el cielo.
Vi una bandada de pájaros en el cielo.
Similar words
bajío
bajo
alfaque
cardumen
bando
Stored collection
noun
science
neutral
An organized reserve of biological material, information, or other resources kept for later use.
Usage
Use banco in phrases such as banco de sangre, banco de datos, or banco de semillas.
Examples
El hospital conserva muestras en un banco de sangre.
The hospital keeps samples in a blood bank.
El proyecto creó un banco de datos abierto.
The project created an open data bank.
La clínica consultó el banco de tejidos.
The clinic checked the tissue bank.
Guardaron las semillas en un banco genético.
They stored the seeds in a gene bank.
El archivo funciona como banco de imágenes.
The archive works as an image bank.
Common mistakes
This sense needs a following de phrase that says what is being stored.
Incorrect
Correct
El hospital abrió un banco para dar préstamos de sangre.
El hospital abrió un banco de sangre.
Subí los archivos al banco sin decir de qué era.
Subí los archivos al banco de datos.
Compré semillas en el banco genético.
Guardaron semillas en un banco genético.
Similar words
depósito
reserva
archivo
repositorio
almacén
I support or put up with
verb
everyday
informal
The first-person present form of bancar, used especially in Argentina and nearby countries for backing someone or tolerating something.
Usage
Use banco when the subject is yo, as in yo banco, and choose another form for other subjects.
Examples
Yo banco esa decisión.
I support that decision.
No banco las mentiras.
I cannot stand lies.
Te banco si querés hablar con el jefe.
I will back you if you want to talk to the boss.
Yo banco a mi hermana en todo.
I stand by my sister in everything.
A este equipo lo banco siempre.
I always support this team.
Common mistakes
The form is often used with the wrong subject or treated as a neutral Spanish verb everywhere.
Incorrect
Correct
Ellos banco la propuesta.
Ellos bancan la propuesta.
¿Puedes banco mi idea?
¿Podés bancar mi idea?
Yo banco en el parque.
Yo banco esa idea.
Similar words
apoyar
respaldar
aguantar
soportar
bancarse
avalar
Usage
Read the surrounding words: money points to finance, sitting to furniture, tools to a workbench, water or fish to nature, and yo banco to the slang verb.
Common mistakes
Banco is used with the wrong context, such as treating a park bench as a financial institution or using banco with subjects other than yo.
Etymology
From Old French bank, from a Germanic word for a bench. The furniture sense came first, and the financial sense grew from the tables or counters used by money changers.
FAQ
What does banco mean in Spanish?
Banco can mean a bank, a bench, a workbench, a sandbank or school of fish, a stored reserve, or I support as a form of bancar.
Is banco a bank or a bench?
It can be either. Money and accounts point to a bank, while sitting, parks, or churches point to a bench or pew.
What does yo banco mean?
Yo banco means I support, I back, or I put up with, especially in Argentine and Rioplatense informal speech.
Can banco mean a group of fish?
Yes. Banco de peces means a school of fish, and banco de arena means a sandbank or shoal.
What is the origin of banco?
It comes through Old French from a Germanic word for a bench, which also explains the later financial sense from money-changing counters.
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