Skip to content

retazo

scrap

noun rreh-TAH-soh Rare

Also means

fragment

Usage Note

Retazo literally means a remnant or offcut of fabric, but it is widely used figuratively for any small, disconnected fragment of something larger: retazos de conversación ('snatches of conversation'), retazos de memoria ('fragments of memory'). The plural retazos is more frequent than the singular. It is a more literary or reflective word than trozo ('piece') and carries a sense of incompleteness or nostalgia.

Examples

"Recordaba solo retazos de aquella noche."

Natural Translation

She remembered only fragments of that night.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic