Amellado

Amellado
 

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for August 1, 2009

amellado (adjective) — dull, not sharp. Look up amellado in the dictionary

Un cuchillo amellado puede ser más peligroso que un cuchillo con filo.
A dull knife can be more dangerous than a sharp knife.

This is a word I have never heard over here. I would say romo or poco afilado.

I've looked up this word at the RAE dictionary and it said that "amellado" is only used in Venezuela. I agree with MariaJosé, I had never heard this word before. Romo (sin punta) o poco afilado would be the correct word.

En chile usamos desafilado para algo cortante y romo para algo punzante.

The other way round then?:confused:

Not the other way around.

You said "poco afilado", although we also say it, we could also say desafilado.

When something is romo for us is something that is not too puntudo. :D Una punta es muy puntuda o es roma, nunca poco afilada....

Okay - I've made a mental note about the limited geographic usage of this word.

But I have a question about the grammar in the sentence. Would the preposition "con" be used with the other words for "dull" that you have given for usage in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world? Why would "cuchillo amellado" not use "con" and "cuchillo con filo" does? Thanks!

Sometimes we use prepositional sentences which work as adjectives:

Una camisa de talla pequeña = una camisa pequeña
Un hombre de baja estatura = uno hombre bajo
Un cuchillo con filo = un cuchillo afilado

I've made a search to know the opposite to afilado in Spanish. This is romo (sin punta) and embotado (sin afilar). I didn't know this word "embotado" with this meaning (I've learnt a new word in my own language, today :)).

Can someone these words in English (romo and embotado)? I don't know if "dull" work for both of them :thinking:

Thanks for those examples, Irmamar!

As for your question, I would say that the only words I would really use for a knife would be sharp or dull:
- a sharp knife
- a dull knife

That's just me.....

Thanks, Laepelba :)

So, a sharp knife means "un cuchillo afilado" (it doesn't cut well), and a dull knife means "un cuchillo romo" (no pincha bien, it doesn't prick well:?:). Am I wrong? :thinking:

Uh oh! You ARE wrong. SORRY! I didn't explain very well......

- a sharp knife - cuts VERY well - is likely brand new, or newly sharpened
- a dull knife - does NOT cut well - has likely been used a LOT and is very old - it NEEDS to be sharpened

Does that help?

Sorry, I didn't realize I was wrong, my mind has made a strange mix :banghead: (last night I arrived very late at home :sleeping: :D)

- a sharp knife - un cuchillo afilado
- a dull knife - un cuchillo romo / embotado :?:

I'd like to know if there is any difference between romo and embotado in English, but I'm not sure which is the correct word to use when I want to say "un cuchillo que no pincha":

- Un cuchillo que no pincha (it doesn't prick :?:) = ?
- Un cuchillo que no corta = a dull knife.

A knife with a rounded point or a blunt edge won't prick your finger. These knives are used for spreading instead of stabbing.
A butter knife is a good example of a blunt edge knife.

Ahhh!! Rusty - I KNEW there was a reason why I stopped trying to answer Irmamar's questions ... I wasn't really getting what she was getting at!! :)

Most British people would use blunt rather than dull for a knife which is not sharp

No, no sólo se usa en Venezuela. En México también. Es un cuchillo poco afilado, porque tiene mellas o hendiduras a lo largo del filo, por lo tanto, no corta bien.
Creo que aquí se usaría "romo" para un cuchillo con el filo desgastado.

Y por cierto, "embotado" en México se usa en sentido figurado.
Cuando alguien siente que tiene la mente saturada de un tema (como si estuviera metido en un bote), dice que está embotado.
"Ya estoy embotado con tantos libros de finanzas. Debo leer otra cosa."
También se usa para referirse a una persona ineficiente o decididamente tonta...
"Juan tiene la cabeza embotada. No hay forma de que haga bien su trabajo."


@Lou Ann: "Filo" is a substantive and "afilado"/"amellado" are adjectives.

El paladín/comendador (cuál es la diferencia?) desenvainaba su mandoble romo por el empuñadura y acometía los enemigos feroces sin preocupación por su misma vida. Él supo que el castillejo ya estaba perder.

Yes, Angelica, we use "embotado" with those meanings, too (though I didn't know the other meaning) :)

Thanks, Rusty, blunt is the word I wanted to know :)

Bob, I think you've translated the text, didn't you? :confused:

El paladín/comendador (cuál es la diferencia?) desenvainaba su mandoble romo por la empuñadura y acometía los enemigos feroces sin preocuparse por su propia vida. Él supo (sabía?) que el castillo ya estaba perdido.

Comendador y paladín son palabras que no se usan más que para entender la literatura y la historia de la Edad Media. Paladín es un caballero famoso que defiende algo o a alguien. Comendador es un caballero superior.

Gracias ;) No lo traduje sin lo escribí porque acabo de mirar una película sobre los castillos y los cabelleros;)

I had to look up "substantive". It makes sense to me ... but feels awkward that way. Interesting.........

So the example sentence could have been "Un cuchillo amellado puede ser más peligroso que un cuchillo afilado." ???