caparazón

shell

noun kah-pah-rah-SOHN Rare

Also means

carapace

Usage Note

Caparazón is masculine in Spain (el caparazón), though the feminine la caparazón is normal in much of Latin America, especially the Southern Cone. It refers to the hard shell of a tortoise, crab, or armadillo, and figuratively to an emotional shell (meterse en su caparazón, to retreat into one's shell). The plural is caparazones, following the regular -ón → -ones pattern.

Examples

"La tortuga se escondió dentro de su caparazón."

Natural Translation

The tortoise hid inside its shell.

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