pólvora

• pólvera

Inherited from Old Catalan polvora, polvera, from Late Latin pulvera, neuter plural based on Latin pulvis m. Doublet of pols < *pulvus.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈpol.βu.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈpol.vo.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈpol.vo.ɾa]

pólvora f (plural pólvores)

1. gunpowder
2. (in the plural) powder (cosmetic)

• pols
• polvoró

• “pólvora” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

• “pólvora”, 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

First attested in the 15th century. From Spanish pólvora, from Old Catalan polvora, polvera, from Late Latin pulvera, a neuter plural based on Latin pulvis m. Doublet of po < *pul(v)us.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔlβo̝ɾa̝/

pólvora m (plural pólvoras)

1. gunpowder, powder
   • 1457, F. R. Tato Plaza, editor, Libro de notas de Álvaro Pérez, notario da Terra de Rianxo e Postmarcos, Santiago: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 171:

     Torre de Rriãjo. O que rreçebeu Gonçaluo Mariño de Fernando de Catoyra cõ a casa e fortalesa de Rriãjo. Primeyramẽte: Húa cadea de ferro cõ seu cãdado e çinco farroupeas e dúas esposas. Hũas coyraças. Tres huchas. Tres ballestas: J de aseyro, IJ de pao. Quatro baçinetes. Hũu trono cõ seu serujdor e hũu fole de póluora. Dos carcaixes de biratõos. Hũu torno de armar ballesta.

     Tower of Rianxo. What Gonçalvo Mariño received from Fernando of Catoira, together with the tower-house and fortress at Rianxo. First: an iron chain with its padlock and five fetters and two handcuffs. Some cuirasses. Three chests. Three crossbows: one of steel, two of wood. Four bascinets. A bombard with its server and a skin of powder. Two quivers of bolts. A winch for charging crossbows.

• Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1983–1991) “polvo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “póluora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “póluora”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pólvora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pólvora”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “pólvora”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

From Spanish pólvora, from Old Catalan polvora, polvera, from Late Latin pulvera, neuter plural based on Latin pulvis m. Doublet of pó < *pul(v)us.

• Hyphenation: pól‧vo‧ra

pólvora f (plural pólvoras)

1. gunpowder, powder
   • 2018, “Corra”, performed by Djonga:

     Éramos milhões, até que vieram vilões / O ataque nosso não bastou / Fui de bastão, eles tinham a pólvora / Vi meu povo se apavorar

     We were millions, until villains came / Our attack wasn't enough / I had a club, they had gunpowder / I saw my people panicking

2. gunpowder tea

Most likely borrowed from Old Catalan polvora (first attested in Spanish c. 1350),^[1] from older polvera, from Late Latin pŭlvĕra, neuter plural based on Latin pulvis m. Compare French poudre or Old Occitan polvera, poldra, porba. Doublet of polvo < *pulvus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpolboɾa/ [ˈpol.β̞o.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -olboɾa
• Syllabification: pól‧vo‧ra

pólvora f (plural pólvoras)

1. gunpowder

• → Aragonese: polvora
• → Galician: pólvora
• → Portuguese: pólvora
• → Tagalog: pulbura
  • → Tausug: pulbura

• “pólvora”, 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
• “pólvora”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025