playa

English

Etymology 1

From Spanish playa (“beach”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈplaɪə/
• Rhymes: -aɪə

Noun

playa (plural playas)

1. (geology, US) A level area which habitually fills with water that evaporates entirely.
   • 2020, Diane Cook, The New Wilderness, Oneworld Publications, page 66:

     Beyond the valley below lay a playa, a vast dried-white lake bed, its ends reaching farther than they could see.

Hyponyms

• salt flat, salt pan, alkali flat

Derived terms

• playa lake

Etymology 2

From a non-rhotic pronunciation of player.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpleɪə/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪə

Noun

playa (plural playas)

1. (African-American Vernacular, slang) A dude (an informal term of address or general term to describe a person, typically male).
2. (African-American Vernacular, slang) A player (someone who plays the field, or has prowess in gaining romantic and sexual relationships).

Aragonese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

playa f (plural playas)

1. beach

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002), “playa”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Asturian

Noun

playa f (plural playes)

1. beach

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Spanish playa.

Noun

playa

1. beach
2. "the town" (in Aruba)

Spanish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈplaʝa/ [ˈpla.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈplaʝa/ [ˈpla.ʝa]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /ˈplaʃa/ [ˈpla.ʃa]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈplaʒa/ [ˈpla.ʒa]

• Audio (Colombia)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʝa
• Syllabification: pla‧ya

Etymology 1

From Late Latin plagia, from Latin plaga. Compare Portuguese praia, French plage, Italian spiaggia.

Noun

playa f (plural playas)

1. beach
   • 1989, “Aquí no hay playa”, performed by The Refrescos:

     Afirmaréis seguros que es la capital de España / Pero al llegar agosto, ¡vaya, vaya! / Aquí no hay playa

     You will surely affirm that it is the capital of Spain / But when August arrives, wow, wow! / There is no beach here

2. car park

Derived terms

• balón de playa
• pelota de playa
• playero
• voleibol de playa
• vóley playa

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

playa

1. feminine singular of playo

Further reading

• “playa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014