arco del cielo

Spanish

Etymology

A compound meaning “arc of the sky”. Compare French arc-en-ciel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /ˌaɾko del ˈθjelo/ [ˌaɾ.ko ð̞el̟ ˈθje.lo]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /ˌaɾko del ˈsjelo/ [ˌaɾ.ko ð̞el ˈsje.lo]
• Syllabification: ar‧co del cie‧lo

Noun

arco del cielo m (plural arcos del cielo)

1. (obsolete) rainbow

   Synonyms: arco iris, arcoíris

   • 1555, Alonso de Molina, Aqui comienca vn vocabulario en la lengua castellana y mexicana, f. 22v:

     Arco del cielo.  ayauh coçamalotl.coçamalotl.

     A rainbow.  ayauh coçamalotl.coçamalotl.

Further reading

• “arco del cielo”, 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