azabache

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷséps

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáps

Proto-Iranian *xšáfš

Old Persian 𐎧𐏁𐎱 (x-š-p /⁠xšapa⁠/)

Middle Persian šp (/⁠šab⁠/)

Middle Persian špk' (/⁠šabag⁠/)bor.

Arabic سَبَج (sabaj)

Andalusian Arabic سبج (sabáj)bor.

Spanish azabache

Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic سبج (sabáj), from Arabic سَبَج (sabaj), borrowed from Middle Persian špk' (/⁠šabag⁠/), from šp (/⁠šab⁠/), from Old Persian 𐎧𐏁𐎱 (x-š-p /⁠xšapa⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *xšáfš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáps, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷséps.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aθaˈbat͡ʃe/ [a.θaˈβ̞a.t͡ʃe] (Spain, Equatorial Guinea)
• IPA^(key): /asaˈbat͡ʃe/ [a.saˈβ̞a.t͡ʃe] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -atʃe
• Syllabification: a‧za‧ba‧che

Noun

azabache m (plural azabaches)

1. jet (a form of compact, glistening coal, often used in jewelry)
2. jet (the color of jet coal)
   • azabache:  

Adjective

azabache m or f (masculine and feminine plural azabaches)

1. of a jet color (of a very dark color)

Further reading

• “azabache”, 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