Love-Spanish.com: Silla

Today's WOTD is: "silla" = chair

Image source: Google images

In Spanish, “silla” is a feminine noun of Latin origin, which means chair. Besides its main meaning of chair, the Spanish noun “silla” may be used to refer to a saddle. Related to this second meaning is the action word/ verb “ensillar” which means to saddle up.

Some commonly used expressions with the word “silla”or related words are:

Caballo de silla (saddle horse);
Falta una silla (we are one chair short);
Juego de la silla (the musical chairs game);
Juez de silla (chair umpire);
Nariz en silla de montar (saddle nose nose- deformity);
Pegársele a alguien la silla (to overstay/ abuse hospitality);
Respaldo de la silla (chair back);
Silla anfibia (amphibious chair/ swimming pool lift/ aquatic lift);
Silla de cordero (rack of lamb);
Silla curul (curule chair);
Silla de la reina (queen's chair*);
Silla de madera (wooden chair);
Silla de manos (sedan chair);
Silla de montar (saddle);
Silla de pala (school chair);
Silla de paseo (stroller/ pushchair/ baby buggy);
Silla de peluquería (hairdressers chair);
Silla de playa (beach chair);
Silla de ruedas (wheel chair);
Silla de tijera (folding chair);
Silla giratoria (swivel chair);
Silla eléctrica (electric chair);
Silla plegable (folding chair);
Silla para bebé (child seat);
(Silla) poltrona (armchair/ easy chair);
Silla turca (Turkish saddle/ sella turcica);

*NB A type of chair used mainly in a game of the same name. The game is played by three players. Two of the players link their arms to form a chair on which the third player sits. The players forming the chair sing a rhyme, at the end of which they let go at their hands, thus dropping the player sitting on the chair.

Some examples of the use of the word "silla" are:

El caballo de silla se suele utilizar en deportes equestres (saddle horses are commonly used in equestrian sports);
Falta una silla para poder sentarnos todos a la mesa (we are short of one chair in order to be able to sit all at the table);
El juego de la silla es el título de una película (Musical Chairs is the title of a film);
El juez de silla puede corregir las decisiones de un juez de línea (the chair umpire may overrule a line umpire call);
La nariz en silla de montar es una deformidad nasal (saddle nose is a nasal deformity);
Me voy, no vaya ser que se me pegue la silla (I am going, I don't want to overstay my welcome);
Me apoyé en el respaldo de la silla (I leaned against the chair back);
La piscina dispone de silla anfibia (the swimming pool is fitted with a pool/ aquatic lift);
La silla de cordero asada está riquísima (the roast rack of lamb is very nice);
Parece una silla curul auténtica (it has all the looks of a real curule chair);
¿Jugamos a la silla de la reina? (shall we play the “queen's chair” game?);
Se vende juego completo de mesa y sillas de madera (for sale a complete set of table and wooden chairs);
Parece una silla de manos auténtica (it has all the looks of a real sedan chair);
Se vende silla de montar en buen estado (for sale saddle in good condition);
En nuestra aula de español hay sillas de pala (in our Spanish classroom there are school chairs);
Se vende silla de paseo en buen estado (for sale stroller/ pushchair in good condition);
Esa silla de peluquería es muy cómoda (that hairdressers chair is very comfortable);
Esas sillas de playa son muy cómodas (those beach chairs are very comfortable);
Accesos adecuados a quienes se desplazan en sillas de ruedas (wheelchair accessible facilities);
Esa silla de tijera es muy cómoda (that folding chair is very comfortable);
Esa silla giratoria es muy cómoda (that swivel chair is very comfortable);
La silla eléctrica es un método de ajusticiamiento (the electric chair is an execution method);
Esa silla plegable es muy cómoda (that folding chair is very comfortable);
Se vende silla para bebé en buen estado (for sale child seat in good condition);
Esa (silla) poltrona es muy cómoda (that armchair/ easy chair is very comfortable);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "silla" in the YouTube clip: Silvio Rodriguez - Historia de la Silla

For more on the word "silla", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Silla

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “silla” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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