ralentizar

to slow down

verb rrah-len-tee-SAHR Rare

Origin: From ralentí (idle/slow speed), borrowed from French ralenti.

Usage Note

Ralentizar means to reduce speed or pace, whether literal (ralentizar el tráfico) or figurative (ralentizar el crecimiento económico). It is a regular -ar verb despite the French-origin stem. In Spain ralentizar is standard; Latin America more often uses desacelerar for the figurative sense. The noun is ralentización.

Examples

"La lluvia ralentizó el tráfico en la autopista."

Natural Translation

The rain slowed traffic on the highway.

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