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lacrimógeno

tear-gas

adjective lah-kree-MOH-heh-noh Rare

Origin: Latin lacrima ('tear') + Greek -gen ('producing')

Also means

tear-jerking

Usage Note

Lacrimógeno literally means 'tear-producing'. Its primary use is technical: gas lacrimógeno ('tear gas'). Colloquially and with irony it describes a film, book, or story that provokes sentimental tears: una película muy lacrimógena ('a real tearjerker'). The feminine form is lacrimógena; the noun is lacrimógeno (the gas itself).

Examples

"La policía usó gas lacrimógeno para dispersar a la gente."

Natural Translation

The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

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