alcabala

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic القبالة (al-qabála), from Arabic قَبَالَة (qabāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [əl.kəˈβa.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əl.kəˈba.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [al.kaˈba.la]
• Hyphenation: al‧ca‧ba‧la

Noun

alcabala f (plural alcabales)

1. (historical) alcavala

Further reading

• “alcabala” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic القبالة (al-qabála), from Arabic قبالة (qabāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alkaˈbala/ [al.kaˈβ̞a.la]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: al‧ca‧ba‧la

Noun

alcabala f (plural alcabalas)

1. (historical) alcavala
2. (Venezuela, Colombia) checkpoint (police post at an exit from a city or a highway)

   Synonyms: chequeo, retén

   • 2016 July 5, “Asesinaron a dos funcionarios del Ejército en una alcabala móvil”, in El Nacional‎^[1]:

     Los militares custodiaban en una alcabala móvil instalada en el sector cuando fueron atacados por un grupo de hombres armados.

     The soldiers were guarding a mobile checkpoint installed in the zone when they were attacked by a group of armed men.

Descendants

• → English: alcavala

Further reading

• “alcabala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10