descabellar

Spanish

Etymology

From des- +‎ cabello +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /deskabeˈʝaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): (most of Spain and Latin America) /deskabeˈʝaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʝaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines) /deskabeˈʎaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʎaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /deskabeˈʃaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʃaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /deskabeˈʒaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʒaɾ]

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: des‧ca‧be‧llar

Verb

descabellar (first-person singular present descabello, first-person singular preterite descabellé, past participle descabellado)

1. (transitive) to scalp (something)
2. (bullfighting) to slaughter a bull by slitting its throat with a descabello
3. (figurative) to mess up

Conjugation

    Conjugation of descabellar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			descabellar
gerund			descabellando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		descabellado		descabellada
		plural		descabellados		descabelladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	descabello	descabellastú descabellásvos	descabella	descabellamos	descabelláis	descabellan
	imperfect	descabellaba	descabellabas	descabellaba	descabellábamos	descabellabais	descabellaban
	preterite	descabellé	descabellaste	descabelló	descabellamos	descabellasteis	descabellaron
	future	descabellaré	descabellarás	descabellará	descabellaremos	descabellaréis	descabellarán
	conditional	descabellaría	descabellarías	descabellaría	descabellaríamos	descabellaríais	descabellarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	descabelle	descabellestú descabellésvos2	descabelle	descabellemos	descabelléis	descabellen
	imperfect (ra)	descabellara	descabellaras	descabellara	descabelláramos	descabellarais	descabellaran
	imperfect (se)	descabellase	descabellases	descabellase	descabellásemos	descabellaseis	descabellasen
	future1	descabellare	descabellares	descabellare	descabelláremos	descabellareis	descabellaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		descabellatú descabellávos	descabelle	descabellemos	descabellad	descabellen
	negative		no descabelles	no descabelle	no descabellemos	no descabelléis	no descabellen

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of descabellar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive descabellar
	dative	descabellarme	descabellarte	descabellarle, descabellarse	descabellarnos	descabellaros	descabellarles, descabellarse
	accusative	descabellarme	descabellarte	descabellarlo, descabellarla, descabellarse	descabellarnos	descabellaros	descabellarlos, descabellarlas, descabellarse
with gerund descabellando
	dative	descabellándome	descabellándote	descabellándole, descabellándose	descabellándonos	descabellándoos	descabellándoles, descabellándose
	accusative	descabellándome	descabellándote	descabellándolo, descabellándola, descabellándose	descabellándonos	descabellándoos	descabellándolos, descabellándolas, descabellándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative descabella
	dative	descabéllame	descabéllate	descabéllale	descabéllanos	not used	descabéllales
	accusative	descabéllame	descabéllate	descabéllalo, descabéllala	descabéllanos	not used	descabéllalos, descabéllalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative descabellá
	dative	descabellame	descabellate	descabellale	descabellanos	not used	descabellales
	accusative	descabellame	descabellate	descabellalo, descabellala	descabellanos	not used	descabellalos, descabellalas
with formal second-person singular imperative descabelle
	dative	descabélleme	not used	descabéllele, descabéllese	descabéllenos	not used	descabélleles
	accusative	descabélleme	not used	descabéllelo, descabéllela, descabéllese	descabéllenos	not used	descabéllelos, descabéllelas
with first-person plural imperative descabellemos
	dative	not used	descabellémoste	descabellémosle	descabellémonos	descabellémoos	descabellémosles
	accusative	not used	descabellémoste	descabellémoslo, descabellémosla	descabellémonos	descabellémoos	descabellémoslos, descabellémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative descabellad
	dative	descabelladme	not used	descabelladle	descabelladnos	descabellaos	descabelladles
	accusative	descabelladme	not used	descabelladlo, descabelladla	descabelladnos	descabellaos	descabelladlos, descabelladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative descabellen
	dative	descabéllenme	not used	descabéllenle	descabéllennos	not used	descabéllenles, descabéllense
	accusative	descabéllenme	not used	descabéllenlo, descabéllenla	descabéllennos	not used	descabéllenlos, descabéllenlas, descabéllense

Derived terms

• descabellado
• descabello

 

Further reading

• “descabellar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28