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traba

obstacle

noun TRAH-bah Rare
People & Society Government

Origin: From trabar ('to bind, to fasten'), from Latin trabem ('beam').

Also means

shackle

Usage Note

Traba literally means a restraint or hobble placed on an animal's legs, but figuratively it is very common in the sense of a bureaucratic or legal obstacle: poner trabas means 'to put obstacles in the way'. The plural trabas is far more frequent than the singular in figurative use.

Examples

"El papeleo pone muchas trabas al emprendedor."

Natural Translation

The paperwork puts many obstacles in the entrepreneur's way.

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