La cantaora tiene un duende que transforma cada verso.
The singer has a mysterious power that transforms every verse.
El duende ayudaba en la cocina cuando nadie lo veía.
The household spirit helped in the kitchen when nobody was watching.
No se aprende el duende con una fórmula.
That mysterious artistry cannot be learned from a formula.
En el cuento, el duende vivía detrás de la chimenea.
In the story, the household spirit lived behind the fireplace.
En Andalucía se usaban duendes para dificultar el escalo.
In Andalusia, thorn barriers were used to make scaling walls harder.
Similar words
hado
barrera
arte
brocado
magia
restaño
espinas
trasgo
tisú
martinico
Meanings
Household spirit
noun
mythology
neutral
A small supernatural being in Spanish and Latin American tradition, often imagined as living in a house and causing noises, disorder, tricks, or occasional help.
Examples
La abuela decía que un duende escondía las llaves por la noche.
Grandmother said a goblin hid the keys at night.
En el cuento, el duende vivía detrás de la chimenea.
In the story, the household spirit lived behind the fireplace.
Los niños dejaron leche para los duendes del bosque.
The children left milk for the forest goblins.
Atribuyeron aquellos golpes a un duende travieso.
They blamed those knocks on a mischievous sprite.
El duende ayudaba en la cocina cuando nadie lo veía.
The household spirit helped in the kitchen when nobody was watching.
Similar words
trasgo
gnomo
elfo
espíritu
martinico
hado
Mysterious artistic charm
noun
arts
neutral
A hard-to-explain power or charm that makes a person or artistic performance deeply moving, especially in flamenco.
Examples
La cantaora tiene un duende que transforma cada verso.
The singer has a mysterious power that transforms every verse.
Anoche apareció el duende en el escenario.
Last night the magic appeared on stage.
Su baile era técnicamente perfecto, pero le faltaba duende.
Her dancing was technically perfect, but it lacked soul.
El público guardó silencio cuando el guitarrista mostró su duende.
The audience fell silent when the guitarist showed his artistic fire.
No se aprende el duende con una fórmula.
That mysterious artistry cannot be learned from a formula.
Similar words
gracia
encanto
arte
magia
alma
garra
Old metallic cloth
noun
textiles
archaic
An old type of cloth woven with silver or gold thread and resembling glacé fabric.
Examples
El inventario menciona una capa de duende plateado.
The inventory mentions a cape of silver metallic cloth.
La pieza de duende se guardaba entre los tejidos valiosos.
The piece of old metallic fabric was kept among the valuable textiles.
El sastre restauró con cuidado el duende del vestido.
The tailor carefully restored the dress's metallic cloth.
El museo exhibe un fragmento de duende dorado.
The museum displays a fragment of golden metallic fabric.
Hoy casi nadie reconoce duende como nombre de una tela.
Today almost nobody recognises duende as the name of a fabric.
Similar words
restaño
glasé
brocado
tisú
Wall-top thorn barrier
noun
security
neutral
In Andalusia, usually in the plural, dried thorny thistles placed along the top of a wall to make climbing over it difficult.
Examples
Pusieron duendes sobre la tapia para impedir el paso.
They put dried thorn barriers on top of the wall to block entry.
Los duendes de la albardilla estaban secos y afilados.
The wall-top thistles were dry and sharp.
La finca aún conserva duendes en algunos muros.
The estate still has thorn barriers on some walls.
El ladrón evitó la tapia cubierta de duendes.
The thief avoided the wall covered with thorny thistles.
En Andalucía se usaban duendes para dificultar el escalo.
In Andalusia, thorn barriers were used to make scaling walls harder.
Similar words
cardos
espinas
abrojos
barrera
Etymology
Formed from the older expression duen de casa, meaning dueño de la casa, or 'master of the house', a name for the spirit believed to live there.
FAQ
What does duende mean in Spanish?
It most often means a folklore spirit or a mysterious, moving charm in art, especially flamenco. It also has two rare material senses.
What is duende in flamenco?
It is the hard-to-explain emotional power that makes a performance feel alive and deeply moving, beyond technical skill alone.
Is a duende a goblin or an elf?
Goblin, sprite, and household spirit are useful translations, but traditions differ and none matches every Spanish or Latin American story.
Is duende masculine or feminine?
It is traditionally masculine, el duende. For a female being, modern usage also allows la duende without changing the word's form.
What is the plural of duende?
The regular plural is duendes.
How is duende pronounced?
It is pronounced /ˈdwende/, with the stress on the first syllable.
Where does duende come from?
It comes from the older expression duen de casa, meaning dueño de la casa, or 'master of the house'.
Comments & contributions
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