alfiler

Spanish

Alternative forms

• alfilel (archaic)

Etymology

From the older alfilel, from Andalusian Arabic اَلْخِلَال (al-ḵilál), from Classical Arabic خِلَال (ḵilāl, “pin, peg”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alfiˈleɾ/ [al.fiˈleɾ]

• Audio (Venezuela); /ˌal.fiˈleɾ/:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: al‧fi‧ler

Noun

alfiler m (plural alfileres)

1. pin (a needle without an eye used for fastening)
2. (Andalusia) clothespin, clothes peg

   Synonym: pinza

3. (Spain, chess) bishop

   Synonym: alfil

Derived terms

• alfiler de criandera
• alfiler de gancho
• alfiler de París
• alfilerazo
• alfilerillo
• alfiletero
• de veinticinco alfileres
• juego de alfileres

Descendants

• Chavacano: alfiler
• → Cebuano: alpiler
• → Tagalog: aspile

Further reading

• “alfiler”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025