mancha

See also: Mancha and manchá

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *smeH-

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-trom

Proto-Indo-European *-tlóm

Proto-Indo-European *sm̥Htlóm

Proto-Italic *smaklomder.

Latin macula

Vulgar Latin *mancla

Old Spanish mancha

Spanish manchabor.

English mancha

Borrowed from Spanish mancha (“stain”).

Noun

mancha (uncountable)

1. A high-quality grade of Spanish saffron.

Anagrams

• Canham, Machan, machan

Asturian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *macla (probably through a variant with a nasal infix *mancla), from Latin macula (“spot; stain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmant͡ʃa/ [ˈmãn.t͡ʃa]
• Rhymes: -antʃa
• Syllabification: man‧cha

Noun

mancha f (plural manches)

1. stain, blemish

Further reading

• García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “mancha”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “mancha”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN

Chavacano

Etymology 1

Inherited from Spanish mancha.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: man‧cha

Noun

mancha

1. stain

Etymology 2

Inherited from Spanish manchar.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /manˈt͡ʃa/ [man.ˈt͡ʃa]

• Hyphenation: man‧chá

Verb

manchá

1. to stain

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmant͡ʃa/ [ˈmãnʲ.t͡ʃɐ]
• Rhymes: -antʃa
• Hyphenation: man‧cha

Etymology 1

Attested in 1370 (the derived form manchado, since the 13th century). Ultimately from Latin macula (“spot; stain”). Doublet of mágoa.

Noun

mancha f (plural manchas)

1. stain; blemish
2. spot
   • 1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana. Introducción e texto, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 393:

     Et o caualo era todo rrodado de mãchas, hũas tã brãcas cõmo a neue et outras tã negras cõmo azaueches.

     And the horse was all covered with spots, some as white as snow, others black as jet

   • 1434, A. López Carreira (ed.), Libro de Notas de Álvaro Afonso, doc. 90:

     os quaes roçiins era huun delles ven preto con hun signal enna testa et ho outro ben çerbyño con huna mancha enna testa

     one of that horses was really dark, with a signal in his front, and the other was tawny with a spot in his front

3. (figurative) flaw
4. (fishing) school (of fishes)

   Synonyms: cardume, manda

Derived terms

• manchado
• manchar

Related terms

• mágoa

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “mancha”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “mancha”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “mancha”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “mancha”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mancha”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mancha”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Etymology 2

Verb

mancha

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

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.ʃɐ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.ʃɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.ʃɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃t.ʃɐ/

• Rhymes: (most dialects) -ɐ̃ʃɐ, (Southern Brazil) -ɐ̃ʃa, (Northern Portugal) -ɐ̃t͡ʃɐ
• Hyphenation: man‧cha
• Homophone: Mancha

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *smeH-

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-trom

Proto-Indo-European *-tlóm

Proto-Indo-European *sm̥Htlóm

Proto-Italic *smaklomder.

Latin macula

Vulgar Latin *macla

Portuguese mancha

From Vulgar Latin *macla (probably through a variant with a nasal infix *mancla), from Latin macula (“stain, spot”). Doublet of the borrowed terms mácula, malha, mágoa, mangra, and maquis.

Noun

mancha f (plural manchas, diminutive manchinha, augmentative manchona)

1. stain, blemish, mark, spot (discoloured spot or visible impression)

   Synonyms: laivo, mácula, malha, nódoa, pinta

2. a disgrace, discredit in one’s reputation

   Synonyms: descrédito, desgraça, desonra, vergonha

Derived terms

• mancha amarela
• mancha catódica
• mancha iônica
• mancha solar
• mancha vermelha
• manchinha (diminutive)
• manchona (augmentative)

Related terms

• imaculado
• mácula
• maculado
• malha
• manchado
• manchar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mancha

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

Further reading

• “mancha”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mancha”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmant͡ʃa/ [ˈmãnʲ.t͡ʃa]
• Rhymes: -antʃa
• Syllabification: man‧cha

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *smeH-

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-trom

Proto-Indo-European *-tlóm

Proto-Indo-European *sm̥Htlóm

Proto-Italic *smaklomder.

Latin macula

Vulgar Latin *mancla

Old Spanish mancha

Spanish mancha

Inherited from Old Spanish mancha, from Vulgar Latin *mancla, from Latin macula. Compare with the borrowed doublet mácula, as well as with mangla.

Noun

mancha f (plural manchas)

1. spot; stain
2. blemish

   Synonym: tacha

3. patch; spot; area

   Synonym: rincón

   mancha urbana ― urban area (lit. urban patch)

4. (Peru, Guatemala) group of friends; gang

   Salí a nadar con la mancha en Villa Nueva.

   I went swimming with the gang in Villa Nueva.

   Synonym: pandilla

Derived terms

• Gran Mancha Roja (“Great Red Spot [of Jupiter]”)
• mancha mongólica
• quitamanchas
• sacamanchas

Related terms

• manchar
• manchoso

Descendants

• Chavacano: mancha
• → Cebuano: mansa
• → Central Bikol: mantsa
• → English: mancha
• → Kapampangan: mansa
• → Tagalog: mantsa

See also

• La Mancha (most likely unrelated)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mancha

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

Further reading

• “mancha”, 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