alforja

From Spanish alforja, from Andalusian Arabic الخُرْج, from Arabic خُرْج (ḵurj, “saddlebag”).

• (US) enPR: ăl-fŏr'-jə, IPA^(key): /ælˈfɔɹ.d͡ʒə/

alforja (plural alforjas)

1. A saddlebag.
   • 2004, Steven Paul Palmer, Steven Palmer, Iván Molina, Iván Molina Jiménez, The Costa Rica Reader: History, Culture, Politics, Duke University Press, →ISBN, page 254:

     This proximity to vast, unattainable wealth, tempting and frustrating at the same time, is also evident in the story of the lost alforja, one of the most commonly related anecdotes about Cubillo.

2. A cheek pouch.

From Andalusian Arabic, compare Spanish alforja.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [əlˈfɔr.ʒə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [alˈfɔɾ.d͡ʒa]

alforja f (plural alforges)

1. saddlebag, pannier

• “alforja”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “alforja”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “alforja” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “alforja” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

• Hyphenation: al‧for‧ja

alforja f (plural alforjas)

1. alternative form of alforje

From Andalusian Arabic الخُرْج (al-ḵurj), from Arabic خُرْج (ḵurj, “saddlebag”).

• IPA^(key): /alˈfoɾxa/ [alˈfoɾ.xa]
• Rhymes: -oɾxa
• Syllabification: al‧for‧ja

alforja f (plural alforjas)

1. saddlebag, knapsack
   • 1605, Miguel de Cervantes, “Capítulo XVIII”, in El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, Primera parte:

     Acudió Sancho a su asno para sacar de las alforjas con qué limpiarse y con qué curar a su amo, y como no las halló estuvo a punto de perder el juicio: maldíjose de nuevo y propuso en su corazón de dejar a su amo y volverse a su tierra, aunque perdiese el salario de lo servido y las esperanzas del gobierno de la prometida ínsula.

     Sancho ran to his ass to get something wherewith to clean himself out of his saddlebags, and relieve his master; but not finding them, he well-nigh took leave of his senses, and cursed himself anew, and in his heart resolved to quit his master and return home, even though he forfeited the wages of his service and all hopes of the promised island.

2. pannier (basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal)

• → English: alforja
• → Tagalog: alporhas

• “alforja”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024