trillar

Definition & meaning

• Primary agricultural meaning: To thresh, which refers to the process of separating grain or seeds from the husks and straw. This is traditionally done by beating the harvested stalks against a surface or using a machine (a thresher) to loosen the edible parts of the crop.
• Figurative meaning: To walk or travel along a path repeatedly, to the point where the ground becomes worn down. It is often used to describe someone who frequently visits the same places or performs the same routine.
• Colloquial/Idiomatic meaning: In some regions, it can mean to repeat a story or a topic so many times that it becomes tedious or monotonous for others.

Grammar & Word origin

• Grammar: It is a regular verb ending in -ar. It is a transitive verb (needs a direct object) when used in the agricultural sense.
• Word origin: It comes from the Latin word trillare or tribulare, derived from tribulum, which was the specific heavy wooden board or sled used in ancient times to thresh grain.

Synonyms & antonyms

• Synonyms:
  • Desgranar ↗ (to shell or thresh).
  • Majar ↗ (to crush or thresh).
  • Caminar ↗ (to walk, in the sense of walking a path).
  • Repetir ↗ (to repeat, in the sense of a story).
• Antonyms:
  • Sembrar ↗ (to sow, representing the start of the process rather than the final harvesting stage).