grillo

See also: Grillo and grilló

Galician

Alternative forms

• grilho (reintegrationist)

Etymology

Probably from Spanish grillo (“cricket”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiɟo/ [ˈɡɾi.ɟʊ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /ˈɡɾiɟo/ [ˈɡɾi.ɟʊ]
• IPA^(key): (gheada) /ˈħɾiɟo/ [ˈħɾi.ɟʊ]

• Rhymes: -iɟo
• Hyphenation: gri‧llo

Noun

grillo m (plural grillos)

1. wedge used for splitting stone

   Synonym: cuña

2. shackle

References

• “grillo”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “grillo”, 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), “grillo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “grillo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Italian

Etymology

From Latin gryllus, from Ancient Greek γρύλλος (grúllos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡril.lo/

• Audio (Veneto):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -illo
• Hyphenation: grìl‧lo

Noun

grillo m (plural grilli)

1. cricket (insect)
   • 1972, L. Chiosso, G. Del Re, G. Ferrio, “Parole parole”, in Cinquemilaquarantatre, performed by Mina Mazzini:

     La luna ed i grilli / normalmente mi tengono sveglia / mentre io voglio dormire e sognare

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. whim, fancy
3. shackle (U-shaped piece of metal secured with a pin or bolt across the opening)

Derived terms

• grilletto
• grillotalpa

Related terms

• grillare

Old Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin gryllus, possibly borrowed from Ancient Greek γρύλλος (grúllos, “kind of dance performed in Egypt”).

Noun

grillo m (plural grillos)

1. cricket
   • 1494 September 18, chapter LIII, in Vicente de Burgos, transl., El libro de proprietatibus rerum, book XVIII, Toulouse: Henrique Meyer, translation of original by Bartholomaeus Anglicus (in Latin), page 283v, column 1:

     GRillo es vna beſtia pequeña ⁊ feble veſtido de pequeñas eſpinas […] E el grillo es aſy llamado poꝛ el ſueno que haꝢe con ſu boꝢ […]

     Cricket is a small and feeble animal, covered with little spikes […] And the cricket is so called because of the sound it makes with its voice […]

Derived terms

• grillos (“shackles”)

Descendants

• Ladino: grío
• Spanish: grillo

References

• Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “grillo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎^[1] (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, pages 214–216

Spanish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiʝo/ [ˈɡɾi.ʝo]

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiʝo/ [ˈɡɾi.ʝo] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiʎo/ [ˈɡɾi.ʎo] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiʃo/ [ˈɡɾi.ʃo] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾiʒo/ [ˈɡɾi.ʒo] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Audio (Argentina):

  (file)

 

• Rhymes: -iʝo

• Rhymes: -iʝo (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
• Rhymes: -iʎo (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃo (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒo (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Syllabification: gri‧llo

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish grillo, from Latin gryllus, possibly borrowed from Ancient Greek γρύλλος (grúllos, “kind of dance performed in Egypt”).

Noun

grillo m (plural grillos)

1. cricket (insect)

Derived terms

• grillo topo
• grillotalpa
• jaula de grillos
• olla de grillos

Related terms

• grillar

Descendants

• → Moroccan Arabic: ڭريلو (grīllu, “cockroach”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

grillo

1. first-person singular present indicative of grillar

Further reading

• “grillo”, 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