pingüino

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penguin, wine jug, penguin-shaped wine jug, ice bag, state-school student
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/piŋˈɡwino/
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A familiar swimming-bird name extended regionally to people and everyday objects.
Practice using pingüino in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • La veterinaria alimentó al pajarito pingüino con una jeringa.
    The vet fed the young bird with a syringe.
  • Sirvieron el vino en un pingüino con asa y pico.
    They served the wine in a jug with a handle and spout.
  • Ese canario está pingüino y necesita calor.
    That canary is still a chick and needs warmth.
  • Los pájaros pingüinos piaban desde la caja.
    The chicks chirped from the box.
  • Las demandas pingüinas ocuparon el debate nacional.
    The students' demands dominated the national debate.

Similar words

bolsa de hielo
jarra
estudiante
pichón
alumno
polluelo
bajo
pájaro bobo
jarro
bajito

Meanings

Flightless swimming bird

noun
animals
neutral
Any bird of the order Sphenisciformes, native mainly to the Southern Hemisphere, with wings adapted as flippers for swimming and no ability to fly.

Examples

  • El pingüino emperador incuba el huevo sobre sus patas.
    The emperor penguin incubates the egg on its feet.
  • Los pingüinos nadan con rapidez entre los bloques de hielo.
    Penguins swim quickly between the blocks of ice.
  • Vimos una colonia de pingüinos en la costa patagónica.
    We saw a colony of penguins on the Patagonian coast.
  • Este pingüino no puede volar, pero bucea muy bien.
    This penguin cannot fly, but it dives very well.
  • La bióloga colocó un transmisor al pingüino rescatado.
    The biologist fitted a transmitter to the rescued penguin.

Similar words

pájaro bobo

Argentine wine jug

noun
food and drink
neutral
In Argentina, a long-bodied jug with a handle and spout, traditionally used in modest restaurants to serve house wine.

Examples

  • El mozo trajo un pingüino de vino tinto de la casa.
    The waiter brought a jug of house red wine.
  • Pedimos medio pingüino para acompañar la comida.
    We ordered half a jug to accompany the meal.
  • El pingüino de cerámica estaba sobre la mesa del bodegón.
    The ceramic wine jug was on the table in the traditional restaurant.
  • Sirvieron el vino en un pingüino con asa y pico.
    They served the wine in a jug with a handle and spout.
  • En ese restaurante porteño todavía usan pingüinos para el vino.
    That Buenos Aires restaurant still uses jugs for wine.

Similar words

jarra
jarro

Salvadoran ice bag

noun
medicine
neutral
In El Salvador, a rubber hospital ice bag used to cool a patient and reduce fever.

Examples

  • La enfermera llenó el pingüino con hielo para bajarle la fiebre.
    The nurse filled the ice bag to bring down the fever.
  • Traiga un pingüino frío para el paciente de la cama doce.
    Bring a cold ice bag for the patient in bed twelve.
  • El pingüino de hule se guardaba junto al material de enfermería.
    The rubber ice bag was kept with the nursing supplies.
  • Le pusieron un pingüino en la frente durante la noche.
    They put an ice bag on his forehead during the night.
  • El hospital necesitaba más pingüinos para la sala infantil.
    The hospital needed more ice bags for the children's ward.

Similar words

bolsa de hielo

Chilean state-school student

noun
education
informal
In Chile, colloquially, a pupil at a public primary or secondary school, or something relating to those pupils.

Examples

  • Los pingüinos marcharon por una educación pública de calidad.
    The state-school students marched for quality public education.
  • Mi hermana fue pingüina antes de entrar en la universidad.
    My sister was a public-school pupil before entering university.
  • El centro de alumnos convocó a los estudiantes pingüinos.
    The student council called the state-school students together.
  • Una delegación pingüina llegó desde Valparaíso.
    A state-school delegation arrived from Valparaíso.
  • Las demandas pingüinas ocuparon el debate nacional.
    The students' demands dominated the national debate.

Similar words

estudiante
escolar
alumno

Young bird in the Dominican Republic

adjective
animals
informal
In the Dominican Republic, a young bird that is still a chick.

Examples

  • Encontraron un gorrión pingüino que aún no podía volar.
    They found a fledgling sparrow that could not yet fly.
  • La veterinaria alimentó al pajarito pingüino con una jeringa.
    The vet fed the young bird with a syringe.
  • Ese canario está pingüino y necesita calor.
    That canary is still a chick and needs warmth.
  • Devolvieron el ave pingüina al nido.
    They returned the young bird to the nest.
  • Los pájaros pingüinos piaban desde la caja.
    The chicks chirped from the box.

Similar words

polluelo
pichón

Short person in the Dominican Republic

adjective
people
informal
In the Dominican Republic, a disparaging colloquial description of a person of short stature.

Examples

  • Le decían pingüino por ser bajito.
    They called him shorty because he was small.
  • El personaje pingüino llevaba un sombrero enorme.
    The short character wore an enormous hat.
  • No uses pingüino para burlarte de su estatura.
    Do not use shorty to mock his height.
  • En el cuento aparece una mujer pingüina y muy ágil.
    A short and very agile woman appears in the story.
  • El apodo pingüino puede resultar ofensivo en este uso.
    The nickname shorty can be offensive in this usage.

Similar words

bajo
bajito

Etymology

From French pingouin, originally the name of the great auk, probably from Welsh pen gwyn, 'white head'. The Southern Hemisphere birds received the name by resemblance.

FAQ

What does pingüino usually mean?

Pingüino usually means penguin, the flightless swimming bird.

Is pingüino masculine or feminine?

The bird name is normally masculine, el pingüino. The feminine pingüina is used when sex matters and in uses referring to people.

Why does pingüino have a diaeresis?

The two dots in güi show that the u is pronounced. Without them, Spanish spelling would make the u silent.

What does pingüino mean in Chile?

In Chile, a pingüino is colloquially a pupil at a state primary or secondary school, a name associated with the traditional dark-and-white uniform.

What is a pingüino in an Argentine restaurant?

It is a handled, spouted jug traditionally used to serve house wine.

Can pingüino be offensive?

Yes. The Dominican use for a short person is disparaging, so it should not be used as a neutral description.

How is pingüino pronounced?

Pingüino is pronounced /piŋˈɡwino/, with stress on güi and an audible u.

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