zarzaparrilla

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Paleo-Hispanicder.

Old Spanish sarza

Spanish zarza

Gothic *𐍀𐌰𐍂𐍂𐌰 (*parra)der.?

Gothic *𐍀𐌰𐍂𐍂𐌰𐌽𐍃 (*parrans)der.?

Spanish parra

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -lus

Latin -ellus

Latin -ella

Old Spanish -iella

Spanish -illa

Spanish parrilla

Spanish zarzaparrilla

From zarza (“bramble”) + parrilla (“little vine”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /θaɾθapaˈriʝa/ [θaɾ.θa.paˈri.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)

• IPA^(key): /θaɾθapaˈriʝa/ [θaɾ.θa.paˈri.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain)
• IPA^(key): /θaɾθapaˈriʎa/ [θaɾ.θa.paˈri.ʎa] (rustic northern Spain)

 

• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈriʝa/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.ʝa] (Latin America)

• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈriʝa/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.ʝa] (most of Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈriʎa/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.ʎa] (northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈriʃa/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈriʒa/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.ʒa] (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /saɾsapaˈria/ [saɾ.sa.paˈri.a] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

 

• Rhymes: -iʝa

• Rhymes: -iʝa (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• Rhymes: -iʎa (rustic northern Spain, northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒa (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• Rhymes: -ia (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Syllabification: zar‧za‧pa‧rri‧lla

Noun

zarzaparrilla f (plural zarzaparrillas)

1. sarsaparilla (plant)
2. sarsaparilla (soft drink prepared with the root of this plant)
   • 1966, Federico Carlos Sáinz de Robles, editor, Teatro español, page 364:

     A uno, cuando le cuentan cosas antiguas, las escucha con nostalgia; parece una época perfecta, llena de añoranzas; una época que daba gusto pasear por Madrid a las cuatro de la mañana y tomarte una zarzaparrilla si se te antojaba; […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. false daisy (Eclipta prostrata)

Related terms

• zarza

Descendants

• → Catalan: sarsaparrella
• → English: sarsaparilla

Further reading

• “zarzaparrilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025