alebrije (Spanish)
Where does "alebrije" come from?
The term 'alebrije' was coined in the 20th century by the Mexican artist Pedro Linares. According to the artist, the name originated from a fever dream in which fantastical, hybrid creatures appeared to him, repeatedly shouting the word 'alebrije'.
Full etymology tree
- alebrije (Spanish), 'A brightly-colored Mexican handcrafted sculpture usually made from papier-mâché or wood depicting a fantastical animal.'
- derived alebrijes (Spanish), 'plural of alebrije'
- derived ¡alebrijes! (Spanish)
- derived alebrijes (Spanish), 'plural of alebrije'
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris