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rascacielos

skyscraper

noun rrahs-kah-SYEH-lohs Rare
Travel & Places Landmarks

Origin: Calque of English 'skyscraper'.

Usage Note

Rascacielos is a compound of rascar (to scrape) + cielos (skies), a direct calque of English 'skyscraper'. Crucially it is invariable in the plural — the form rascacielos serves as both singular and plural: un rascacielos, varios rascacielos. Its gender is masculine. It is fully standard across all Spanish-speaking regions.

Examples

"Viven en un rascacielos del centro."

Natural Translation

They live in a skyscraper in the city centre.

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