murciélago

bat (animal)

noun moor-SYEH-lah-goh Rare

Origin: From medieval Spanish murciégalo, from Latin mus caeculus 'blind mouse', reflecting the old belief that bats were blind.

Usage Note

Murciélago is famous among Spanish learners because it contains all five vowels (a, e, i, o, u). It is masculine despite ending in -o, as expected. The blood-feeding species is the murciélago vampiro or simply vampiro.

Examples

"Un murciélago entró por la ventana abierta."

Natural Translation

A bat flew in through the open window.

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