cuña

See also: cuna, Cuna, cùna, cunã, and cüna

Galician

Alternative forms

Etymology

First attested in the 15th century. Ultimately from Latin cuneus. Cognate with Portuguese cunha and Spanish cuña.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkuɲa/ [ˈku.ɲɐ]
  • Rhymes: -uɲa
  • Hyphenation: cu‧ña

Noun

cuña f (plural cuñas)

  1. wedge
    • 1438, X. Ferro Couselo, editor, A vida e a fala dos devanceiros. Escolma de documentos en galego dos séculos XIII ao XVI, Vigo: Galaxia, page 411:
      Et mais que o dito señor obispo e cabíidoo e conçello que dían ao dito Sueyro e a Diego Aafonso pera a dita obra toda a pedra e madeira e crabageen e calabres e petrechos... e meestres e feramentas e cuñas e marras e todas las outras cousas que feser mester et foren necesarias pera se a dita obra faser
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. chock (for wheel)
    Synonym: calzo
  3. (figurative) influence; connections

Derived terms

References

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkuɲa/ [ˈku.ɲa]
  • Rhymes: -uɲa
  • Syllabification: cu‧ña

Etymology 1

From cuño or from Vulgar Latin *cunea, from Latin cuneus. Compare Portuguese cunha.

Noun

cuña f (plural cuñas)

  1. wedge
  2. chock (for wheel)
  3. (typography) quoin
  4. (colloquial) influence, weight, pull
  5. (television, radio) slot, spot
  6. (anatomy) cuneus (portion of the occipital lobe)
  7. (colloquial, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Rep., El Salvador) connections
    Synonyms: enchufe, palanca
  8. (journalism, Chile) sound bite
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

cuña

  1. inflection of cuñar:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading