navalla

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin novācula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [nəˈβa.ʎə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [nəˈva.ʎə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [naˈva.ʎa]

Noun

navalla f (plural navalles)

1. razor
2. jack-knife, pocketknife
3. the sword razor (Ensis ensis), a prized species of razor clam

Derived terms

• navalla recta
• navalló

Further reading

• “navalla” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “navalla”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “navalla” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “navalla” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Navallas

Alternative forms

• navalha (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese navalla (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin novācula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naˈbaɟa/ [naˈβ̞a̠.ɟɐ]
• Rhymes: -aɟa
• Hyphenation: na‧va‧lla

Noun

navalla f (plural navallas)

1. razor
   • 1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 393:

     Et tragíã seus escudos enbraçados et suas lanças ẽnas mãos, et moytos deles tragíã hũas azcũas grãdes et anchas de açeyro, linpas et cortadores cõmo nauallas

     They brought their shields on, and their spears in their hands, and many of them brought large and wide javelins of steel, clean and cutting as razors

2. pocketknife
   • 1891, José Barral Campos, O amigo de S. Pedro:

     Dimpois de comer dúas cuncas de caldo, deitouse na cama, sacou da faltrica do chaleque dous cigarros e unha navalla e liando un pito, púxose a fumegar polas ventas das narices, o mesmo có tren.

     After eating two bowls of broth he laid down on the bed; he took two cigars and a pocketknife from the vest's pocket and, rolling a cigarette, began to throw smoke by the nostrils, not unlike a train

3. razor shell (Ensis ensis, Ensis magnus)

Derived terms

• navallada
• navalleira
• navallón

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “navalla”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “naualla”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “navalla”, 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), “navalla”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “navalla”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “navalla”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025