paraguas (Spanish)

Where does "paraguas" come from?

The Spanish noun 'paraguas' is a verb-object compound formed by combining 'para', meaning 'to stop', with 'aguas', meaning 'waters'[1]. Together, the elements create a descriptive term for a device designed to stop water, translating to the English meaning of umbrella[1].

Full etymology tree

• paraguas (Spanish), 'umbrella, brolly (UK)'
  • compound para (Spanish), 'inflection of parar:'
  • compound aguas (Spanish), 'be careful!'

Descendants and derived words

• paragües (Asturian)
• paraigua (Catalan)
• paraguazo (Spanish)
• paragüero (Spanish)
• paragüita (Spanish)
• término paraguas (Spanish)

Sources

1. paraguas (Spanish) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris