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vela

candle

noun BEH-lah Rare

Origin: From Latin vela, plural of velum (sail, covering).

Also means

sail

Usage Note

Vela means both a wax candle and a sail on a boat — context determines which. Hacer vela or navegar a vela means to sail; encender una vela means to light a candle. Velar (the verb) means to stay awake keeping watch or to hold a vigil. The sport of sailing is la vela.

Examples

"Encendieron una vela en la iglesia."

Natural Translation

They lit a candle in the church.

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