arroba

[ uh-roh-buh; Spanish and Portuguese ahr-raw-bah ]

noun,plural ar·ro·bas [uh-roh-buhz; Spanish and Portuguese ahr-raw-bahs]. /əˈroʊ bəz; Spanish and Portuguese ɑrˈrɔ βɑs/.
  1. a symbol (@) that is used to link a username to a domain name, used at the beginning of Twitter handles, and in other identifying designations on the internet in Spanish-speaking countries.

  2. a Spanish and Portuguese unit of weight of varying value, equal to 25.37 pounds avoirdupois (9.5 kilograms) in Mexico and to 32.38 pounds avoirdupois (12 kilograms) in Brazil.

  1. a unit of liquid measure of varying value, used especially in Spain and commonly equal (when used for wine) to 4.26 U.S. gallons (16.1 liters).

Origin of arroba

1
First recorded in 1550–1560; from Spanish, Portuguese, from Arabic al rubʿ “the fourth part, a quarter (of the qintār), from Common Semitic arbaʿ “four”; see quintal

Words Nearby arroba

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arroba in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arroba

arroba

/ (əˈrəʊbə) /


nounplural -bas
  1. a unit of weight, approximately equal to 11 kilograms, used in some Spanish-speaking countries

  2. a unit of weight, approximately equal to 15 kilograms, used in some Portuguese-speaking countries

  1. a liquid measure used in some Spanish-speaking countries with different values, but in Spain used as a wine-measure, approximately equal to 16 litres

Origin of arroba

1
C16: from Spanish, from Arabic ar-rub` the quarter (of a quintal)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012