duende

D2U1E1N1D2E1

noun

A small, mischievous humanoid creature in Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese), Latin American, and Philippine folklore/mythology; an imp.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:duende.”

OriginSpanish duende ← Portuguese duende →
UncommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounduende (countable and uncountable, plural duendes)

plural duendes

  1. countableuncountableA small, mischievous humanoid creature in Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese), Latin American, and Philippine folklore/mythology; an imp.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:duende.

  2. countableuncountableartHeightened inspiration or passion, especially in flamenco.

    The duende is a momentary burst of inspiration, the blush of all that is truly alive, all that the performer is creating at a certain moment.

    1998, Federico García Lorca, Norman Thomas Di Giovanni, In Search of Duende, New Directions, →ISBN, page VIII, →ISBN
  3. countableuncountablePersonal charm.

Origin

  1. Portugueseduende
  2. Spanishduende
  3. Englishduende

Borrowed from Spanish duende and (especially in reference to Portuguese or Brazilian folklore) Portuguese duende. Doublet of duwende.

More words from Spanish, Portuguese

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Dundeedenudedudeen
Cite this entry
APA

duende. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duende

MLA

“duende.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duende. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “duende,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duende.

Source: duende on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.