What does espada mean?
Espada is the Spanish word for 'sword', borrowed into English chiefly through the language of bullfighting. It refers specifically to the straight, slender thrusting sword that the matador uses in the final act of a corrida to deliver the fatal blow to the bull. By extension, the term can denote any rapier-like thrusting sword, appearing in historical, military, and museum contexts. Because it is a loanword, espada retains a distinctly foreign flavor in English prose and is most at home in writing about Spain, fencing history, or taurine tradition. Its etymology reaches back to the Latin spatha, meaning a broad, flat blade, which also produced the English words 'spade' and the French 'épée'. This shared ancestry makes espada a striking example of how a single root can branch into tools as different as a weapon of ceremony and a garden implement.
nounThe sword used by a matador to kill the bull in the final act of a bullfight; more generally, a rapier or similar thrusting sword.
- The matador's thrusting sword used to dispatch the bull in the final tercio of a bullfight.
- A rapier or similar straight, thrusting sword (chiefly in historical or technical contexts).
"With the crowd on its feet, the matador raised the espada for the final pass."
"The matador exchanged the muleta for the espada and stepped squarely before the bull."
"Museum curators displayed a sixteenth-century espada alongside other Renaissance blades."
The plural follows regular English pluralization; it may also appear as the unchanged Spanish form in highly specialized texts.
"The armory displayed several ornate espadas from colonial Mexico."
The espada that ends every Spanish bullfight traces its bloodline back to the same Latin word that gave us the humble garden spade.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of espada
Espada comes directly from Spanish espada, 'sword', which derives from the Latin spatha, itself borrowed from the Greek spathe, meaning a broad, flat blade of wood or metal. Latin spatha entered many European languages, yielding Old English spadu (modern 'spade'), French épée, Italian spada, and Portuguese espada. The word entered English as a borrowing in contexts relating to Spain, particularly bullfighting, where the espada remains central terminology.
How espada is actually used
A loanword from Spanish, used almost exclusively in discussions of bullfighting or historical arms. It is not part of everyday English vocabulary and is typically italicized or glossed when first introduced. The feminine form of the phrase, 'la espada', reflects its Spanish grammatical gender.
Easily confused with espada
An espada is the sword itself, while 'espadero' is a Spanish term for a swordsmith or sword-bearer, not a common English word.
A spade is a digging tool (or playing card), whereas an espada is a sword; both descend from the same Latin root but have entirely different meanings.