botar
Lemma Details
Translation: to bounce; to throw away; to discard; to toss
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: From Late Latin *bottare ('to strike, hit'), possibly of Germanic origin
Commonality: 70%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of a boat bouncing on waves
- Similar to 'boot' - imagine kicking (booting) something away
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
In some Latin American countries, 'botar' is more commonly used for 'to throw away' than in Spain, where 'tirar' is more frequent
Easily Confused With
Explanation: Botar means 'to bounce/throw away' while votar means 'to vote'
Notes: The pronunciation is identical in most Spanish dialects, making context crucial
Mnemonic: Votar has 'vot' like 'vote', while botar is about bouncing or throwing