escuela

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin schola, from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “spare time, leisure”, later “conversations and the knowledge gained through them during free time; the places where these conversations took place”). The meaning of 'community centre' arose in the late 20th century as rural schools closed due to lack of children and most were reused and are still in use as community or activity centres.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈkwela/ [esˈkwe.la]
• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: es‧cue‧la

Noun

escuela f (plural escueles)

1. school
2. (dated, also in the plural) rural primary school
3. (in the plural, colloquial) a rural community centre

Usage notes

• Escuela (or plural, escueles) now mainly refers to a specialized school (eg. a music school, a school of arts). This change took place in the late 20th century, and primary schools may still be referred to as escuela, but now the term colexu is the official and newer one.

Further reading

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “escuela”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “escuela”, 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

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish escuela.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈkwela/, [esˈkwe.la]
• Hyphenation: es‧cue‧la

Noun

escuela

1. school

Hypernyms

• colegio

Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish escuela.

Noun

escuela

1. school

Leonese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin schola.

Noun

escuela f (plural escuelas)

1. school

References

• “escuela”, in Diccionario Castellano-Leonés / Leonés-Castellano [Spanish-Leonese / Leonese-Spanish Dictionary] (in Spanish), La Asociación L'Alderique, 2012–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈkwela/ [esˈkwe.la]

• Audio (Peru):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: es‧cue‧la

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish, from Latin schola, from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “spare time, leisure”, later “conversations and the knowledge gained through them during free time; the places where these conversations took place”).

Noun

escuela f (plural escuelas)

1. school (an institution dedicated to teaching and learning)
   • 2021 July 19, Naomi Thomas, “La Academia Estadounidense de Pediatría recomienda el uso universal de mascarillas en las escuelas para todos los mayores de 2 años”, in CNN en Español‎^[1]:

     Una de las principales intervenciones propuestas por la AAP incluye que todos los estudiantes mayores de 2 años y todo el personal de la escuela deben usar mascarillas en la escuela a menos que tengan una condición médica o de desarrollo que lo prohíba.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. school (the followers of a particular doctrine)
3. (climbing) crag

   Synonyms: risco, peñón

Usage notes

• In Spain, escuela typically refers to primary school, or an institution that teaches trades or arts (e.g. escuela de arte ("art school")) and not secondary or higher education.

Hyponyms

• agroescuela
• autoescuela
• escuela alta
• escuela de idiomas
• escuela de medicina ("medical school")
• escuela de negocios ("business school")
• escuela normal
• escuela preparatoria
• escuela privada

Derived terms

• vieja escuela

Related terms

• escolar

Descendants

• → Cebuano: eskuwela, eskuyla, eskwela
• → Ilocano: eskuela
• → Purepecha: eskuela
• → Tagalog: eskuwela

Etymology 2

Verb

escuela

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

Further reading

• “escuela”, 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

Anagrams

• secuela