cerrojo

Spanish

Etymology

From a modification of Old Spanish berrojo (influenced by the verb cerrar (“to close”)), from Vulgar Latin *verruculum, from Latin vericulum, diminutive of verū (“dart”). Compare the development of Portuguese ferrolho.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θeˈroxo/ [θeˈro.xo] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /seˈroxo/ [seˈro.xo] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -oxo
• Syllabification: ce‧rro‧jo

Noun

cerrojo m (plural cerrojos)

1. (in a lock) bolt, latch

   Synonym: pestillo

   echar el cerrojo ― to bolt the door

2. (in a weapon) bolt
3. (in sports) very aggressive or defensive tactics

Derived terms

• acerrojar
• portacerrojo

Further reading

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