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escama

scale (fish/reptile)

noun ehs-KAH-mah Rare

Origin: From Latin squama (scale).

Also means

flake

Usage Note

Escama refers to the hard overlapping scales of a fish or reptile. In a broader sense it can mean a flake of skin (escamas de caspa, dandruff flakes). The verb escamar means to scale a fish and also, colloquially, to make someone suspicious.

Examples

"Limpió las escamas del pescado."

Natural Translation

She cleaned the scales off the fish.

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