nounadjective

el muelle

pier · dock

Lugar junto al agua donde paran barcos para cargar, bajar cosas o subir personas.

Definition & meaning

Muelle is a Spanish word with several meanings:

Pier, wharf, or dock — a structure built along the water where boats can stop and goods or passengers can be loaded or unloaded.
- El barco está en el muelle. — “The boat is at the dock.”
Spring — an elastic metal device that compresses, stretches, or twists and returns to its original shape.
- El muelle del colchón está roto. — “The mattress spring is broken.”
Soft, yielding, or pliable — as an adjective, usually describing something that is not firm or rigid.
- El terreno está muelle después de la lluvia. — “The ground is soft after the rain.”
  This adjectival use is less common in many regions; blando is often preferred.
Slack or loose — in some contexts, it can describe something lacking tension or firmness.
- La cuerda está muelle. — “The rope is slack.”
  This meaning is regional or less frequent than flojo .

Grammar & Word origin

As a noun, muelle is masculine: el muelle.
Its plural is muelles.
As an adjective, muelle has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns: un material muelle, una superficie muelle. Its plural is muelles.
The noun meaning “pier” comes from the French mouille, related to a place where boats can moor.
The noun meaning “spring” comes from Latin mollis, meaning “soft,” referring to the spring’s flexibility.
The adjective muelle also ultimately derives from Latin mollis.

Synonyms & antonyms

For “pier, wharf, or dock”

Synonyms include:

embarcadero — a place for boarding or disembarking from boats; often emphasizes this function.
espigón — a projecting structure extending into the water, often built for protection or access.
malecón — usually a waterfront promenade or embankment, not necessarily a place where boats dock.

There is no exact antonym, although tierra firme can contrast with a structure extending over the water.

For “spring”

Synonyms include:

resorte — the most common general synonym for a mechanical spring in much of Latin America.
ballesta — a particular type of spring, especially a leaf spring used in vehicles.

A direct antonym is not normally used. A muelle is characterized by elasticity, so rígido or inelástico can express the opposite property.