Skip to content

arrabal

suburb; slum outskirt

noun ah-rrrah-BAHL Rare
Travel & Places Landmarks

Origin: From Andalusi Arabic arrabáḍ (the outskirts), from Arabic rabaḍ.

Usage Note

Arrabal historically referred to a settlement outside a city's walls, often a poor or marginal neighbourhood. Today it carries a literary and slightly nostalgic tone, evoking the working-class outskirts of Buenos Aires in tango culture (el arrabal porteño) or the old barrios of Madrid. The plural is arrabales.

Examples

"El tango nació en los arrabales de Buenos Aires."

Natural Translation

Tango was born in the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Explore Spanish by topic