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arañar

to scratch

verb ah-rrahn-YAHR Rare

Also means

to scrape

Usage Note

Arañar covers both the scratch of a cat's claw and the act of scraping together scarce resources, as in arañar unos euros ('to scrape together a few euros'). The noun araña (spider) shares the same root—both evoke sharp, grasping movements.

Examples

"El gato me arañó la mano."

Natural Translation

The cat scratched my hand.

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