borra

See also: borrá, bórra, and bórrá

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

borra (uncountable)

1. leafy matter found in wax
   • 1950, Robert W. Pressing and Bradley J. Pettibone, US Patent 2531785, page 4:

     […] continuously discharging borra from said zone as a solid, removing the water from said slurry and mechanically recovering solid wax.

Anagrams

• Barro, Brora, arbor

Asturian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin burra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbora/ [ˈbo.ra]
• Rhymes: -ora
• Syllabification: bo‧rra

Noun

borra f (plural borres)

1. (uncountable) sediments in liquids (such as cider, coffee)
2. (uncountable, by extension) waste

   Synonyms: refugaya, borrafa

3. (uncountable, by extension) ash

   Synonyms: ceniza, borrayu

4. a young sheep
5. rough wool; flock

Derived terms

• aborrar
• aborronadera
• aborronar
• borrafa
• borraya
• borrayu
• borregada
• borregu
• borronada
• borronera
• borronáu
• borrín
• borrón
• emborronar
• esborrar
• esborronar

Further reading

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “borra”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “borra”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin burra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈbo.rə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈbo.ra]

Noun

borra f (plural borres)

1. fluff, waste fibers

Derived terms

• borrall
• borràs
• borriga
• borrissol
• borró
• borrós
• borrut
• esborrar

Further reading

• “borra”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Galician

Etymology

From Latin burra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbora/ [ˈbo.rɐ]
• Rhymes: -ora
• Hyphenation: bo‧rra

Noun

borra f (plural borras)

1. rough wool; flock (coarse tufts of wool used in bedding)
   • 1348, A. López Ferreiro, editor, Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática, Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, page 306:

     It. mando a mia cama. en que eu jasco. que som quatro almadraques. dos quaes ssom dous de ffroxel et huun dalgodon et outro de borra et con seu cabeçal et con duas colchas

     Item, I bequeath my bed, the one where I lie, which is made of four mattresses, two of them of down, one of cotton, and another of wool, with its pillow and two quilts [...]

2. sediment, grounds, dreg, tartar
3. ink (of a squid, octopus, etc)
4. ash; soot
5. meconium
6. (figurative) vanity, arrogance, pride

Derived terms

• borralla
• borrallo
• borrar
• borrea
• borreiro
• borrela
• borrento
• borrifo
• borrisco
• borro
• borroa
• borroallo
• borroeiro
• borrón

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “borra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “borra”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “borra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “borra”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “borra”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Hungarian

Etymology

From bor +‎ -ra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈborːɒ]
• Hyphenation: bor‧ra

Noun

borra

1. sublative singular of bor

   Nincs pénzünk borra. ― We don't have money for wine.

Derived terms

• borravaló

Irish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

borra m (genitive singular borra, nominative plural borraí)

1. barrow, hog

Declension

Declension of borra (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative borra borraí vocative a bhorra a bhorraí genitive borra borraí dative borra borraí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an borra na borraí genitive an bhorra na mborraí dative leis an mborra don bhorra leis na borraí

Mutation

Mutated forms of borra

radical	lenition	eclipsis
borra	bhorra	mborra

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “borra”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “hog”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Italian

Etymology

From Latin burra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔr.ra/, (traditional) /ˈbor.ra/
• Rhymes: -ɔrra, (traditional) -orra
• Hyphenation: bòr‧ra, (traditional) bór‧ra

Noun

borra f (plural borre)

1. waste
2. cotton

Anagrams

• barro, barrò

Maltese

Etymology

Borrowed from Sicilian burra; compare burrasca (“sudden rainfall, storm”). Most probably from Latin boreas (“north wind”), from Ancient Greek Βορέᾱς (Boréās), though compare also Latin burra (“rag, flock”), which might give the sense “snowflake”. In any case, the development from “rain” to “snow” is not unlikely in Malta, where what is considered “snow” is usually sleet, while actual snow is very rare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔr.ra/
• Rhymes: -ɔrra

Noun

borra f

1. snow, sleet

   Synonym: (more common) silġ

Old Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin burra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boˈra/

Noun

borra f (plural borras)

1. rough wool

Descendants

• Spanish: borra

Further reading

• “borra”, in Diccionario del español medieval electrónico [Electronic Dictionary of Medieval Spanish] (in Spanish, English, and German), Rostock University and Paderborn University, 2022–present

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Latin burra.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.ʁɐ/ [ˈbo.hɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.ʁɐ/ [ˈbo.hɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.ʁɐ/ [ˈbo.χɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.ʁa/ [ˈbo.ha]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.ʁɐ/

Noun

borra f (plural borras)

1. sediment, grounds (collection of small particles, particularly dirt, that precipitates from a body of water)

   Synonym: sedimento

Derived terms

• borra de café

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.ʁɐ/ [ˈbɔ.hɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.ʁɐ/ [ˈbɔ.hɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.ʁɐ/ [ˈbɔ.χɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.ʁa/ [ˈbɔ.ha]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.ʁɐ/

Verb

borra

1. inflection of borrar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “borra”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “borra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbora/ [ˈbo.ra]
• Rhymes: -ora
• Syllabification: bo‧rra

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥

Proto-Hellenic *pāwər

Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr)

Proto-Indo-European *-rós

Proto-Hellenic *-rós

Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós)

Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor.

Latin burrus

Latin burra

Old Spanish borra

Spanish borra

Inherited from Old Spanish borra, from Latin burra. Cognate with English bureau and burel.

Noun

borra f (plural borras)

1. young female sheep
2. rough wool
3. flock (for mattress)
4. stuffing (for cushions)
5. cotton waste

Related terms

• borrar
• borrego
• borroso

Descendants

• → Tagalog: bura

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

borra

1. inflection of borrar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “borra”, 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

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish bora, from Old Norse bora, from Proto-Germanic *burōną. Equivalent to borr +‎ -a.

Verb

borra (present borrar, preterite borrade, supine borrat, imperative borra)

1. (sometimes with upp, putting more emphasis on the result) to drill, to bore (make a hole with a drill or other boring instrument, through twisting and pressure)

   borra (upp) ett hål i en vägg

   drill a hole in a wall

   borra efter olja

   drill for oil

Conjugation

Conjugation of borra (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	borra		borras
supine	borrat		borrats
imperative	borra		—
imper. plural1	borren		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	borrar	borrade	borras	borrades
ind. plural1	borra	borrade	borras	borrades
subjunctive2	borre	borrade	borres	borrades
present participle		borrande
past participle		borrad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• borrhål
• borrmaskin
• uppborra

Related terms

• borr
• borrning

References

• “borra”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “borra”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

• broar