Spain Project | Spanish Resources | Spanish Glossary

This page is to help people learn the necessary terms and handwriting used in Spanish vital documents.

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Contents 1 Glossary Translations 1.1 Common Document Terms 1.2 Numbers 1.3 Months 1.4 Dates Used Within These Help Pages 1.5 Latin American Countries 1.6 Racial Terminology

Glossary Translations

Common Document Terms

Spanish Words	Abbrev.	English	Spanish Variations
†		death	†† (mother & child), fallecido(a) dead man (woman)
agricultor          .	agrr	farmer
alférez		ensign	alférez de fragata
ama de casa		homemaker
ama de llaves		housekeeper
año		year
antepasados		ancestors
apellido		surname	apellidos
archivo		archive
Bachiller	Br	Bachelor
barrio		suburb	the neighborhood (where the church is)
bautismo		baptism and/or christening	bauticé, bautizado(a), bautismo, bautizo
bautismo de socorro		urgent baptism and/or christening, for fear of imminent death
bautizar		to baptize or to christen	bauticé, bautizado(a), bautismo, bautizo
bautizo		see bautismo above
cabo		corporal
calle		street
capillo	cap.o	christening cap	cap.o 32 would be the price paid for the cap. Also seen as 1 real, or 34 maravedies (=1 real)
carpintero		carpenter
casado(a)		married	matrimonio, casamiento, casé
casamiento		marriage	matrimonio, casé, casado(a)
casar	--	to marry	matrimonio, casamiento, casado(a), casé
Católica	Cathc	Catholic
causa de fallecimiento		cause of death
cementerio		cemetery
censo		census
confirmación		confirmation
cónyuge		husband	esposo, marido
cónyuge		wife	esposa, marida, mujer
crisma		Holy oil used to anoint in different ecclesiastical acts and sacraments
defunción		death	difunto(a), fallecimiento, óbito, muerto(a), fallecido(a)
desconocido		unknown
deste,ta		archaic contraction for "of this"	desto (neutral, arch.)
destino		destination
día		day
dicho(a)	dho, dha	said, mentioned
difunto(a)		death	muerte, defunción, fallecimiento, óbito, muerto(a), fallecido(a)
diligência	dilis	diligence
Don	Dn	A title; equivalent to Sir or Mister
edad		age
edad al morir		age at death
edad del novio		groom's age
ejército		military	militar
empleo		occupation
enfermedad		illness
entierro		burial	sepultura, entierrado(a), sepultado(a)
entierrado(a)		burial	sepultura, entierro, sepultado(a)
esposa		wife	marido, cónyuge
esposo		husband	marido, cónyuge
expósito		child
extremaunción		extreme unction; the sacrament of anointing the very sick or dying
fallecido(a)		death	muerte, defunción, óbito, muerto(a), difunto(a), fallecimiento
fallecimiento		death	muerte, defunción, óbito, muerto(a), difunto(a), fallecido(a)
fecha		date
fecha de inhumación		date of burial
feligreses		churchgoers
festivos		holidays; non-working days
hembra		female
hermana		sister
hermano		brother
hija		daughter
hijo	h.	son
hijos		children
hora de muerte		time of death
Iglesia	Iga	Church
Iglesia  Católica	Iga Cathc	Catholic church
ilegitimo (a)	i., ill.	illegitimate
impedimento		impediment
inmigración		immigration
indice (índice)		index
legitimo	lexa, l.	legitimate
liberado	libe	A free person; liberated
llegada		arrival
madre		mother
mañana		morning
maravedi, s	mis, miis, mris, ms	old Spanish coin, used from the 11-19th C, with different values & metal content	accepted plurals: maravedís, maravedíes, & the less accepted, maravedises
marida		wife	esposa, mujer, cónyuge
marido		husband	esposo, cónyuge
marinero		seaman
matrimonio	matrim.o	marriage	casamiento, casé, casado(a)
mes		month
militar		military	ejército
muerto(a)		death	muerte, defunción, fallecimiento, óbito, difunto(a), fallecido(a)
mujer		wife	esposa, marida, cónyuge
municipio		town, township
nacido(a)	n., nac.	birth	nacimiento, nació
nacimiento		birth	nació, nacido(a)
nació	n.	birth	nacimiento, nacido(a)
niña		girl
niño		boy
no consta		not stated
nombre	n.	name, given
nombre de bautismo		name, given
nombre de pila		name, given
novio		groom
óbito		death
obiit sine prole	o.s.p.	died without issue/children
obligación	obligan	duty
obligaciones	obligacions	obligations
padres	pd.	parents
padrinos		godparents
parroquia	Parroq.a	parish
pasajero		passenger
primer; el primer dia	1.er	first; the first day
propietario		owner
propio de		belonging to
que	qe	that
representante		proxy
residente	residte	resident
Ritual Romano		Roman Rite, a ritual of the Roman Catholic Church
Sacramento	Sacram.to	Sacraments (religious ceremony)
San	Sn	Saint
Santa	Sta, Stos	Saint or Holy	Santos
Santo Concilio de Trento	Sto Concilio de Trento	Sacred Council of Trent
segundo		second
segundo cónyuge		second spouse
señor	s.	sir, mister
sepultura		grave
sitio		location
socorro		relief	a 'bautismo de socorro' is an urgent baptism (baptism of relief) performed for fear of imminent death
solemnemente	solemnemte	solemnly
soltera/o		single f/m
teniente	thente, Tht	a person who stands as a substitute for a higher position	,
testigo		witness
???	therie	???	(i.e. therie Bachiller)
último		last
ut supra		as stated above
vecindad	vecindd	neighborhood
vecino(a)	vno	neighbor	vecinos, vecinas
verdad		truth	por verdad, as the truth
viejo		old	el Viejo, the Old Man or the Elder
viuda		widower
viudo(a)		widowed m/f
vivo		living

Numbers

Spanish	#
uno	1
dos	2
tres	3
quatro	4
cinco	5
seis	6
siete	7
ocho	8
nueve	9
diez	10
once	11
doce	12
trece	13
catorce	14
quince	15
dieciséis	16
diecisiete	17
dieciocho	18
diecinueve	19
veinte	20
veintiuno	21
veintidós	22
veintitrés	23
veinticuatro	24
veinticinco	25
veintiséis	26
veintisiete	27
veintiocho	28
veintinueve	29
treinta	30
treinta y uno	31
treinta y dos	32
treinta y tres	33
cuarenta	40
cuarenta y uno	41
cuarenta y dos	42
cincuenta	50
cincuenta y uno	51
cincuenta y dos	52
sesenta	60
sesenta y uno	61
sesenta y dos	62
setenta	70
setenta y uno	71
setenta y dos	72
ochenta	80
ochenta y uno	81
ochenta y dos	82
noventa	90
noventa y uno	91
noventa y dos	92
cien	100
ciento uno	101
ciento dos	102
ciento diez	110
ciento once	111
doscientos	200
doscientos uno	201
doscientos dos	202
doscientos once	211
doscientos setenta y seis	276
trescientos	300
cuatrocientos	400
quinientos	500
seiscientos	600
setecientos	700
ochocientos	800
novecientos	900
mil	1,000

Months

Note: From the 12th century to the year 1752 the year in England began on the 25th of March. Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. Spain changed their calendar to begin on the 1st of January in 1556. All records created after that date have the year as we would count it today.

Spanish	English	#
Enero	January	1
Febrero	February	2
Marzo	March	3
Abril	April	4
Mayo	May	5
Junio	June	6
Julio	July	7
Agosto	August	8
Septiembre	September	9
Octubre	October	10
Noviembre	November	11
Diciembre	December	12

Dates Used Within These Help Pages

• 1600's
  • En vein^te i cinco del mes de marco
  • On the twenty-fifth of March
  • En    Veinte de septiembre de este año de mil seiscientos y sesenta y cinco años
  • On the twentieth of September in this year of one thousand six hundred and sixty-five
  • En quatro dias del mes de otubre de mil y seiscientos y treynta y siete años
  • On the fourth of October in one thousand six hundred and thirty-seven
• 1700-1750
  • En dicho dia mes, y año dicho
  • On the said day month, and year
  • en ocho de octubre de este año de mil setesientos, y quarenta, y siete
  • on the eighth of October in one thousand seven hundred and forty-seven
  • el dia dose de henero de mill de Setecientos y veinte y siete anos
  • on the twelfth day of January in the year one thousand, seven hundred and twenty-seven
• 1750-1800
  • en cinco de Junio de mil Septeciento^s sesenta ocho años
  • on the fifth of June in one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight
  • En Veinte y un dias de el mes a Junio de mil seteciento^s ochenta, y dos
  • On the twenty-first of June in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two
  • En veinte y seis dias del mes de Junio de mil setecientos sesenta y un años
  • On the twenty-sixth of June in one thousand seven hundred and sixty-one
• 1800's
  • diesinueve de Julio
  • nineteenth of July
  • quince días del mes de Marzo de este año de mil ochocientos treinta y cuatro
  • fifteenth of March in (the year) one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four
  • el 1.^er dia del mes de Julio del año de 1839
  • the first day of the month of July in the year 1839

Latin American Countries

The Latin America project on WikiTree is the umbrella project for the history and genealogy of the 20 Latin American nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Racial Terminology

Casta is an Iberian word (existing in Spanish, Portuguese and other Iberian languages since the Middle Ages), meaning "lineage", "breed" or "race". Historians used this term during the 20th century to describe mixed-race individuals in Spanish America, resulting from unions of Spaniards (españoles), Amerindians (indios), and Africans (negros). Whether castas were used or not in colonial rule to organize social status has recently been questioned. Below are some terms you may see used in regards to race or social status.

Spanish	English	Explanation
Españoles	Spaniards	People of other European descent who had settled in Spanish America and adapted to Hispanic culture.
Peninsulares	Spaniards & Europeans	Spaniards and other Europeans born in Europe.
Criollos	Spaniards or Europeans	Spaniards and other Europeans (both black and white) born in America. Now used just for white people.
Indios	Native Americans	The original inhabitants of the Americas were considered to be one of the three "pure races" in Spanish America.
Mestizos	Native American & European	Persons with one Spanish parent and one Amerindian parent.
Castizos	European & Indigenous	European with some Indigenous: Persons with one Mestizo parent and one Spanish parent.
Cholos	Native American & Mestizo	Native American with some Mestizo: Persons with one Amerindian parent and one Mestizo parent.
Pardos	Mixed Race	Mixed European, African, and Native American: People who are the product of the mixing over the generations of the European, Black African, and Amerindians. This mix may come about from a white Spaniard having a child with a Zambo, an Amerindian having a child with a Mulatto, or a Black African having a child with a Mestizo.
Mulatos	African & European	Mixed African and European: Persons of the first generation of a Spanish and Black/African ancestry. Mulato could also denote an individual of mixed African and Native American ancestry.
Zambos	Native American & African	Mixed Native American and African: Persons who were of mixed Amerindian and Black ancestry. As with Mulattoes, many other terms existed to describe the degree of mixture. Chino ("curly hair") could mean persons with Mulatto & Amerindian parents. Lobo could mean persons with Black and Amerindian parents, the same as Zambo.
Negros	African	The third original race (along with Spaniards and Amerindians), both slaves and free-blacks. Due to the association of slavery these were low in social status.

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Last Edited: (13:00, 28 November 2019 (UTC))

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• These translation pages were originally envisioned by Steve Archuleta (on 18 Jul 2019) and then created through a collaborative effort between Steve, Mindy Silva, Rubén Hernández, Santi Díaz de Argandoña, and Bonnie Saunders. For suggestions concerning the page you can contact Mindy or leave a public comment.