hacha

See also: Hácha

Asturian

Alternative forms

• ḥacha

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish hacha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈat͡ʃa/ [ˈa.t͡ʃa]
• Rhymes: -atʃa
• Syllabification: ha‧cha

Noun

hacha f (plural haches)

1. axe (tool)

   Synonym: hachu

Further reading

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “hacha”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Chamorro

Numeral

hacha

1. (Old Chamorro) one (in general)

   Synonym: uno

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

hacha

1. third-person singular past historic of hacher

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈat͡ʃa/ [ˈa.t͡ʃa]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -atʃa
• Syllabification: ha‧cha

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish facha, borrowed from Old French hache, of Germanic origin.

Noun

hacha f (plural hachas)

1. axe, hatchet (tool for felling trees or chopping wood)
2. (colloquial) ace, wizard (someone who is especially skilled or unusually talented in a particular field)

Usage notes

• Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like hacha, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el hacha. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al hacha, del hacha.

This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un hacha or una hacha. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor hacha, una buena hacha.

• In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
• The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el hacha única, un(a) hacha buena.
• In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.

Derived terms

• callo de hacha
• hacha de abordaje
• hacha de armas
• hacha de viento
• hachazo
• hachón
• lengua de hacha
• maestro de hacha
• paje de hacha

Descendants

• → Asturian: hachu, hacha
• → Cebuano: atsa
• → Kaiwá: hácha
• → Isthmus Mixe: achë
• → Mbya Guarani: haxa
• → Morelos Nahuatl: acha
• → Paraguayan Guarani: ácha, hácha
• → Rayón Zoque: jacha
• → Tezoatlán Mixtec: achá
• → Western Apache: acha
• → Zacatlán-Ahuacatlán-Tepetzintla Nahuatl: acha

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Spanish facha, from a Vulgar Latin *fascla, from syncopation of *fascula, presumably from a crossing of Latin facula and fascis. Doublet of fácula, a borrowing. Cognate with Old Galician-Portuguese facha.

Noun

hacha f (plural hachas)

1. a kind of torch or large candle (often with four sticks)
2. a kind of wick or fuse (often made with esparto grass and tar), which does not go out easily in the wind
3. bundle of straw tied up like a strip and often used to help cover huts or other field constructions

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

hacha

1. inflection of hachar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “hacha”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025