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dorado

doh-RAH-dohdoˈɾa.ðo

“dorado” means “golden” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:

golden, gold-colored

Also: browned, toasted
A simple, brightly colored golden yellow star on a neutral background.

📝 In Action

El sol de la mañana tiene un tono dorado precioso.

A1

The morning sun has a beautiful golden tone.

Para la cena, queremos un pollo bien dorado y crujiente.

A2

For dinner, we want a chicken that is well browned and crispy.

La medalla que ganó era de metal dorado.

A1

The medal he won was made of gold-colored metal.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • áureo (golden (literary))
  • tostado (toasted, browned)

Common Collocations

  • color dorado – golden color
  • cabello dorado – golden hair

mahi-mahi, dolphinfish

Also: gilthead bream
NounmB2
SpainMexico and Caribbean
A single, vibrantly colored mahi-mahi fish, characterized by its long dorsal fin, swimming in clear blue water.

📝 In Action

El dorado es un pez grande y muy popular para pescar en aguas tropicales.

B2

The mahi-mahi is a large and very popular fish for fishing in tropical waters.

Pedimos un ceviche de dorado fresco.

B2

We ordered a fresh mahi-mahi ceviche.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • pez limón (amberjack (another fish))

Common Collocations

  • filete de dorado – mahi-mahi fillet

gilding, gold plating

Also: gold finish
NounmC1
A close-up view of a simple wooden picture frame being decorated with thin, shiny gold leaf.

📝 In Action

El restaurador trabajó para preservar el dorado del marco del cuadro.

C1

The restorer worked to preserve the gilding of the painting's frame.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • chapado en oro (gold plated)
  • pan de oro (gold leaf)

Vocabulary Collections

Translate to Spanish

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: dorado

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'dorado' as a noun referring to a type of fish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
dorar(to brown, to gild (verb)) — Verb
oro(gold (noun)) — Noun
doradura(gilding/gold work (noun)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Spanish verb *dorar*, meaning 'to gild' or 'to brown.' This verb, in turn, comes from the Latin word *deaurare*, which meant 'to cover with gold' and is related to *aurum*, the Latin word for gold.

First recorded: 13th century (in its verb form)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: douradoItalian: dorato

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'dorado' and 'oro'?

'Oro' is the precious metal itself (gold). 'Dorado' is the color (golden) or the state of having a gold-like appearance (gold-plated, browned). You can say 'El anillo es de oro' (The ring is made of gold) or 'El anillo es dorado' (The ring is gold-colored).

Does 'dorado' always mean the color gold?

Not always! When talking about cooking, 'dorado' means 'browned' or 'toasted'—the perfect color you want on fries or chicken. It describes the finished condition of the food after heat has been applied.