ladilla

Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish lada + modern -illa (diminutive suffix), the former (documented since 1042) derived from the feminine of the old adjective lado (“broad”, < Latin lātus), referring to the flat shape of the insect. First attested in Nebrija.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /laˈdiʝa/ [laˈð̞i.ʝa] (most of Spain and Latin America)
IPA^(key): /laˈdiʎa/ [laˈð̞i.ʎa] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
IPA^(key): /laˈdiʃa/ [laˈð̞i.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
IPA^(key): /laˈdiʒa/ [laˈð̞i.ʒa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

Rhymes: -iʝa (most of Spain and Latin America)
Rhymes: -iʎa (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
Rhymes: -iʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
Rhymes: -iʒa (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

Syllabification: la‧di‧lla

Noun

ladilla f (plural ladillas)

crab louse

Adjective

ladilla m or f (masculine and feminine plural ladillas)

(Venezuela, mildly vulgar, slang) annoying, pain in the ass

References

Joan Coromines; José A[ntonio] Pascual (1984), “ladilla”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary]‎^[1] (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 553