Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Saturday April 5, 2008

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-ura, noun suffix:
beauty

There are several ways of forming abstract nouns in Spanish. Adding the suffix -ura to an adjective is one of them. So, from hermoso, beautiful, you get hermosura beauty.

Es de una hermosura contundente.
It’s overwhelmingly beautiful.

Another common noun ending in -ura is frescura, from fresco:

Las ideas expuestas en los textos no han perdido frescura ni actualidad.
The ideas expressed in the texts are as fresh and current as ever.

As you can see from the previous two examples, abstract nouns like these in Spanish are often translated as adjectives. Here’s another example, with guapura, from guapo, handsome:

Todo líder tenía que tener guapura y encanto.
Every leader had to be handsome and charming.

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