muela

molar

noun MWEH-lah Rare

Origin: Latin mola (millstone, grinding stone)

Also means

millstone; flat-topped hill

Usage Note

Muela most commonly refers to a molar tooth (me duele una muela — 'I have a toothache'), but historically it also meant a millstone and in geography it names a flat-topped hill or mesa. The phrase dolor de muelas (toothache) is very common in everyday speech.

Examples

"El dentista tuvo que sacarle una muela."

Natural Translation

The dentist had to remove one of his molars.

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