bolígrafo

Spanish

Etymology

First attested in 1947. From bola (“ball”) +‎ -grafo (“-graph”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boˈliɡɾafo/ [boˈli.ɣ̞ɾa.fo]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɡɾafo
• Syllabification: bo‧lí‧gra‧fo

Noun

bolígrafo m (plural bolígrafos)

1. ballpoint pen

   Synonyms: boli, birome, esfero, esferográfica, lapicera, lapicero, pluma

2. (El Salvador, Guatemala, colloquial) drunkard (drunk person)

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:borracho

Hyponyms

• bolígrafo de gel

Further reading

• “bolígrafo”, 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
• “bolígrafo”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010