Spanish

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Etymology

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Inherited from Latin circināre (to make round). Compare Portuguese cercear.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (Spain) /θeɾθeˈnaɾ/ [θeɾ.θeˈnaɾ]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America) /seɾseˈnaɾ/ [seɾ.seˈnaɾ]
  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Syllabification: cer‧ce‧nar

Verb

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cercenar (first-person singular present cerceno, first-person singular preterite cercené, past participle cercenado)

  1. (transitive, also figurative) to curtail, cut, sever, cut short
    Synonyms: cortar, amputar
    • 1637, Baltasar Gracián, “Primor XI”, in El héroe:
      Prosperidad muy aprisa, atropellándose unas a otras las felicidades, siempre fue sospechosa; porque suele la fortuna cercenar del tiempo lo que acumula del favor.
      Quick prosperity, with joyous moments tripping over each other, was always suspicious; because fortune tends to cut off from time what it accumulates from favor.

Conjugation

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Derived terms

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Further reading

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