# espora
## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “sowing, seed”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [əsˈpo.ɾə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [esˈpo.ɾa]

### Noun

espora f (plural espores)
* spore

#### Related terms

* esporàdic

### Further reading

* “espora” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “espora”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “espora” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “espora” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Galician
### Alternative forms

* espola

### Etymology

Attested in local Latin documents at least since the 11th century. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *spurô (“spur”), from Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (“to kick”). Cognate of Portuguese espora, Spanish espuela, English spur, German Sporn, Old Norse spori.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [esˈpɔɾɐ]

### Noun

espora f (plural esporas)
* spur (implement that is fixed to one’s heel for prodding horses)
* spur (naturally growing spike of an animal)
* prod

#### Synonyms

* esporón

#### Derived terms

* espora de cabaleiro (“knight's spur”)
* esporoar
* esporoada

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “espora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “espora”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “espora”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “espora”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Portuguese
### Etymology 1

Via Old Galician-Portuguese espora from Gothic *𐍃𐍀𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 (*spaura), from Proto-Germanic *spurô (“spur”); compare Old High German sporo, Old Norse spori.
Not to be confused with esporo (“spore”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /isˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /esˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /isˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /esˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /iʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/, /eʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /esˈpɔ.ɾa/
* (Portugal) IPA: /(i)ʃˈpɔ.ɾɐ/
* Hyphenation: es‧po‧ra

#### Noun

espora f (plural esporas)
* spur (implement that is fixed to one’s heel for prodding horses)
    Synonym: acicate
* spur (naturally growing spike of an animal)
* (figuratively) stimulus, incentive

#### Further reading

* “espora”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

espora
* inflection of esporar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “sowing, seed”) or maybe from Frankish *sporo (“spur”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /esˈpoɾa/ [esˈpo.ɾa]
* Rhymes: -oɾa
* Syllabification: es‧po‧ra

### Noun

espora f (plural esporas)
* (botany) spore

#### Related terms

* esporádico
* esporangio

### Further reading

* “espora”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10