sanguijuela

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish sangusuela (c. 1250, in Libro de los animales que caçan), from Latin sanguisūga (“leech”) + -uela (“diminutive suffix”). Less likely, from earlier sanguja (“leech”) +‎ -uela. Note that sangusuela is attested earlier than sanguja (1494, in Vicente de Burgos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sanɡiˈxwela/ [sãŋ.ɡiˈxwe.la]
• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: san‧gui‧jue‧la

Noun

sanguijuela f (plural sanguijuelas)

1. leech (animal)

   Synonyms: sanguja, hirudíneo

Related terms

• sangre

Descendants

• → Fala: sanguijuela

Further reading

• “sanguijuela”, 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