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Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Saturday September 29, 2007
hito, noun:
landmark; milestone
Spanish, like English, uses metaphor to extend its vocabulary. Hito is an example where the metaphorical meanings in the two languages are pretty much parallel.
otro hito central en la derrota de Sendero Luminoso
another milestone in the defeat of Sendero Luminoso
Notice the use of the verb marcar in this next example:
La cumbre de el Cairo marcó un hito histórico.
The Cairo summit was a historic landmark.
In its literal meaning, hito can refer to boundary posts marking the border between regions or countries:
Permanecen sin marcar parte de los hitos fronterizos acordados entre Panamá y Costa Rica.
Some of the boundary posts agreed between Panama and Costa Rica have still not been put in place.
Hito is also used in an idiom, mirar a alguien de hito en hito, meaning to stare at someone:
Nos mira de hito en hito.
She stares at us fixedly.
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