velar
Spanish, verb/beˈlaɾ/
velar is spelled V-E-L-A-R (5 letters) and appears 4.4 times per million words in written Spanish, the 13,207th most frequent Spanish word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Velar is a Spanish verb meaning “to watch, guard” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Estar sin dormir durante la noche”.
What does velar mean in English?
verb
- 1
to watch, guard
- 2
to be vigilant
- 3
to ensure, see to, guarantee
- 4
to look after, look out for, watch over, monitor
- 5
to sit up (with an ill person)
- 6
to keep vigil (over a dead person)
- 7
to stay awake
- 8
to be ensured
verb
- 1
to veil
- 2
to conceal, cover, hide (of information)
- 3
to fog
adjective
- 1
femininemasculinevelar
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
verb: 1. Estar sin dormir durante la noche. 2. De noche, cuidar un enfermo. 3. Quedarse junto a un difunto durante la noche. 4. Costumbre popular de cuidar a una persona viva, para librarla del demonio, profiriendo conjuros y protegiéndola con velas.
verb: 1. Cubrir algo parcialmente, de modo que no puede verse bien. 2. Cubrir con un velo (tela, generalmente delgada, que cubre algo; manto, cortina). 3. Perderse la imagen en el negativo o en el papel por exceso de exposición a la luz. 4. Aplicar veladura (tinta o barniz para suavizar los tonos).
adjective: 1. Que pertenece o concierne al velo del paladar. 2. Se dice de un sonido que se articula o produce utilizando la región del velo del paladar. 3. Que cubre (vela₂) o sirve para ocultar algo en parte, para oscurecerlo.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of velar
- velo first-person present singular
- velé first-person preterite singular
- velado participle past
- velando gerund
- velada feminine participle past
- velados masculine participle past
- veladas feminine participle past
- velas indicative informal present
- velás indicative informal present
- vela indicative present singular
- velamos first-person indicative plural
- veláis indicative plural present
- velan indicative plural present
- velaba first-person imperfect indicative
- velabas imperfect indicative second-person
- velábamos first-person imperfect indicative
- velabais imperfect indicative plural
- velaban imperfect indicative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce velar?
- /beˈlaɾ/
- [beˈlaɾ]
Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to velar
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is velar in Spanish?
velar appears 4.4 times per million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).