Polyglot Dictionary

afiar

/aˈfjaɾ/

verb B2

o (masc.) a (fem.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

V Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Common Domain General Tone Neutral

Forms

present (eu)
afio
preterite (eu)
afiei
past participle
afiado

Meaning

  1. to sharpen

    • Afiou a faca.

      He sharpened the knife.

V Category Action Concreteness Concrete Agency Voluntary Duration Durative Transitivity Transitive

Similar words

amolar

amolar specifically means to sharpen with a whetstone or grindstone; afiar is more general — both mean "to sharpen."

aguçar

aguçar is more figurative, to sharpen one's senses or wit, like "aguçar o apetite," to whet the appetite; afiar is more literal, sharpening a blade.

Similar in other languages

Spanish

afilar

afilar is the Spanish word for the same thing — both mean "to sharpen."

Spanish

agudizar

agudizar is the Spanish word for the same thing — both mean "to sharpen."

Practice

1 What does afiar mean?

2 Which fingerprint chart matches afiar?

verb

Last updated