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escollo

obstacle

noun ehs-KOH-lyoh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Origin: From Italian scoglio 'rock, reef', from Latin scopulus.

Also means

reef

Usage Note

Escollo originally meant a submerged rock dangerous to ships, and in figurative use it means a stumbling block or difficulty (el mayor escollo del proyecto). It is a learned or slightly literary word; everyday speech tends to prefer obstáculo or problema. The Italian origin makes its double-l spelling intuitive.

Examples

"La burocracia fue el mayor escollo del proyecto."

Natural Translation

Bureaucracy was the biggest obstacle in the project.

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