estrella fugaz

Spanish

Etymology

Literally "fleeting star." (estrella = "star," fugaz = "fleeting"). Cognate with Galician estrela fugaz (“shooting star”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʝa fuˈɡaθ/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʝa fuˈɣ̞aθ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)

• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʝa fuˈɡaθ/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʝa fuˈɣ̞aθ] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain)
• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʎa fuˈɡaθ/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʎa fuˈɣ̞aθ] (rustic northern Spain)

 

• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʝa fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʝa fuˈɣ̞as] (Latin America)

• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʝa fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʝa fuˈɣ̞as] (most of Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʎa fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʎa fuˈɣ̞as] (northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʃa fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʃa fuˈɣ̞as] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾeʒa fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.ʒa fuˈɣ̞as] (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /esˌtɾea fuˈɡas/ [esˌt̪ɾe.a fuˈɣ̞as] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Syllabification: es‧tre‧lla fu‧gaz

Noun

estrella fugaz f (plural estrellas fugaces)

1. shooting star

Further reading

• “estrella fugaz”, 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