padrastro
“padrastro” means “stepfather” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
stepfather
📝 In Action
Mi padrastro y yo nos llevamos muy bien.
A1My stepfather and I get along very well.
El esposo de mi madre es mi padrastro.
A1My mother's husband is my stepfather.
hangnail
📝 In Action
Me salió un padrastro en el dedo anular.
B2I got a hangnail on my ring finger.
No te muerdas los padrastros porque se pueden infectar.
B2Don't bite your hangnails because they can get infected.
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: padrastro
Question 1 of 1
If someone says 'Me duele el dedo por un padrastro', what are they complaining about?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the word 'padre' (father) plus the ending '-astro'. In old Spanish, this ending was used to describe something that 'imitated' or was a 'lesser version' of the original, which is how it came to mean both a step-parent and a bothersome piece of skin.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the word 'padrastro' mean or offensive?
Not usually. While some old fairy tales made 'step-parents' sound mean, the word 'padrastro' is the standard, neutral term in Spanish today.
Why is a hangnail called a 'stepfather'?
It's a quirk of history! The ending '-astro' used to mean 'false' or 'imperfect'. A hangnail was seen as an 'imperfect' part of the nail area, just as a stepfather was once described as a 'replacement' for a father.