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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

pilosa

English translation:

pilose / pilous

Added to glossary by Lydia De Jorge
May 11, 2011 03:10
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

pilosa

Spanish to English Marketing Business/Commerce (general)
•Calabacín fino tipo oscuro: Es el calabacín mas utilizado y demandado por el mercado. Su color es verde oscuro, su piel fina y lisa o levemente pilosa y su aspecto brillante y fresco. Su pulpa es blanca, su forma es cilíndrica y su grosor y longitud son variables dependiendo de su punto de recolección. El tamaño estandarizado para Frutas Escobi en los calabacines finos es de 14 cm-21 cm.

I have never seen a hairy zucchini.. TIA for your suggestions!
Proposed translations (English)
5 +1 pilose / pilous
4 +4 (slightly) furry
3 +2 fuzzy
4 (having a) light down
3 hairy

Discussion

Lydia De Jorge (asker) May 12, 2011:
I would have never imagined a zucchini could become so complicated..Everyone has made a valid point and thus I am no closer to a suitable solution. I have contacted the client and he will have to decide. Thanks to all of you for your insights!
DLyons May 12, 2011:
@Dr Neil That's one sense certainly. But the OED says "The pubescence on some plants and fruits; the soft feathery pappus of some seeds."
and I've heard it often, so it's in common speech also.
Neil Ashby May 12, 2011:
@ Dlyons BUt isn't 'down' the feathers of a young bird? Feathers are not hairs.
Neil Ashby May 12, 2011:
@Lisa Prickly - I agree sometimes they are a bit, I think it's because their hairs are slightly hooked like velcro and so can 'catch' the skin a bit. UK cucumbers are all grown in greenhouses - very mechanically, I worked in one for a summer - the Spanish one's are probably a bit less 'artificial'.
Ricardo Galarza May 12, 2011:
@DLyons Yes, pilose is covered with soft hair (just as "piloso" is in Spanish), not necessarily long. But even if that were the case, the author says clearly, "levemente pilosa," "slightly pilose." So long hair is definitely out of the question.
DLyons May 12, 2011:
@Ricardo/Lydia I agree with what Ricardo is saying re the various suggestions made to date. However "Pilose" is "Covered with hairs, esp. long, soft hairs" - my feeling, and I admit to not being an expert on zucchinis, is that isn't quite it either.

I still think my "light down" is closest :-)
Ricardo Galarza May 12, 2011:
Hi Lydia. IMHO, if the author had meant "slightly prickly," he or she would have written in Spanish, "ligeramente espinoso." If she had meant fuzzy, she would have written, "peludito," "con pelusa," "con pelusita." If she had meant "furry," she would have written "peludo." But she chose to use a rather difficult word, and I think a translation should preserve that. "Levemente pilosa" in English is "slightly pilose."
Best!
Lydia De Jorge (asker) May 11, 2011:
@Lisa Yep! I think 'slightly prickly' might do it. Thanks!
Lisa McCarthy May 11, 2011:
@ Lydia
Courgettes are easily damaged. When buying this vegetable it is best to look for courgettes with a moist stem with an unblemished shiny, **slightly prickly skin**. Ideally they shouldn't be larger than 6 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. They can be stored for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Lydia De Jorge (asker) May 11, 2011:
Thanks Lisa. Now you make me think...prickly, hmm, maybe
Lisa McCarthy May 11, 2011:
@ Lydia I find it's the cucumbers that are bumpy in Spain, and not as juicy as the UK ones :)
Lisa McCarthy May 11, 2011:
prickly I've come across one or two courgettes in Spain which I thought were actually a bit prickly - like the fine hairs on some caterpillars :)
Lydia De Jorge (asker) May 11, 2011:
Charles - thanks for the info!
DLyons - thanks for the laugh!
DLyons May 11, 2011:
@Lydia Well done on the field research. Reminds me of a line from a poem "And you Garcia Lorca, what were you doing among the watermelons" :-)
Charles Davis May 11, 2011:
@Lydia They can be fuzzy/furry, though they're usually smooth. I think it just depends on the variety. I see furry/fuzzy ones in Spain, France and Italy sometimes, particularly at the market, though rarely at the supermarket. The smooth ones are more common; consumers probably prefer them. The hairs are a bit coarser and sparser than peach fuzz, in my experience, but basically similar.
Lydia De Jorge (asker) May 11, 2011:
fuzzy or furry I took a trip to the supermarket and checked out the zucchinis. None had hair, down, fuzz or fur. What I did notice was that some were smooth and some were bumpy. On the other hand, in the US, fuzzy is used to describe the skin on peaches. I have never heard the term furry to describe a fruit but it sounds like an accurate description. What I did find to be fuzzy or furry was the stem and leaves of the squash/zucchini.
Charles Davis May 11, 2011:
fuzzy zucchini or furry courgettes I think this is a US/UK difference, as I've indicated in my agreement comments. "Fuzzy" sounds strange here to a British ear, but it is normal in US English (as in fuzzy fruit, peach fuzz, etc.). Conversely, "furry" is what we would normally say in UK English. What I don't know, not being American, is how normal "furry" sounds to an American ear, but I suspect it would be less usual than "fuzzy".

Proposed translations

+1
3 hrs
Selected

pilose / pilous


"Piloso/a" in Spanish means covered with hair. In English is pilose or pilous (Latin origin).

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Diccionario de la Real Academia Española
piloso, sa.
(Del lat. pilōsus).
1. adj. De mucho pelo.
2. adj. Perteneciente o relativo al pelo.
http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=pil...

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th ed.
pi·lose adj \ˈpī-ˌlōs\
Definition of PILOSE
: covered with usually soft hair
— pi·los·i·ty \pī-ˈlä-sə-tē\ noun
Origin of PILOSE
Latin pilosus, from pilus hair
First Known Use: 1753
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilose

Oxford English Dictionary
pilose
Pronunciation:/ˈpīlōs, /(also pilous)
adjective
covered with long soft hairs.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1278125#m_en...

Pilous
adjective
another term for PILOSE
http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1278136#m_en...

Word Magic En-Sp/Sp-En Dictionary
piloso
pi·lo·so Adjetivo
1. pilose, covered by hair, covered by soft hair, downy, fluffy, pilous; Sinónimos: cubierto de vello, velloso; Peludo, que tiene abundante vello o pelo. ; Relacionado con el vello o pelo.
http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/diccionario/es-en/piloso.php

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-05-11 07:16:23 GMT)
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Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary
piloso -sa adjetivo
hair (before n), pilose (tech)
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=pilo...

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-05-11 07:22:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Considering that "pilosa" in Spanish is not an easy word either (that's why you had to ask about it), I think this is your best bet in this context: "...slightly pilose."
Peer comment(s):
agree neilmac : This is actually the technically correct version in biology/medicine, but probably too technical for what looks like a pretty general context.
13 hrs
Thanks, Neilmac! If "pilosa" wasn't too technical for the author, neither would be "pilose." If she wanted to say "fuzzy" or "furry," she would have used: "peludito," "con pelusa," or just "peludo" for furry. But "levemente pilosa" is "slightly pilose" ;)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "It seems odd to use this term when speaking of fruit, but it is what the author used...thanks!"
14 mins

(having a) light down

Or maybe not so light :-)
Reference:

http://www.spreafico.net/Products/Vegetables/Zucchini/

Note from asker:
Interesting! Never met a "zucchini with down"! Thanks!
Something went wrong...
+2
15 mins

fuzzy

another option
Peer comment(s):
agree Richard Boulter : Light fuzz?
46 mins
agree Charles Davis : "Slightly fuzzy" would be fine for American target (less so for UK)
2 hrs
neutral Neil Ashby : surely fuzzy is normally used as a visual adjective, rather than tactile
7 hrs
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

hairy

another option
Something went wrong...
+4
2 hrs

(slightly) furry

A-Z of Fruit & Veg - Great Grub Club
Fresh apricots have a soft and **slightly furry skin**. They make a good ... Courgettes grow on bushes. They look quite like cucumbers and have very soft seeds. ...
www.greatgrubclub.com/a-z-fruit-veg - Cached

Print Page - Courgette or butternut?
19 May 2009 ... Would I be right in thinking that the courgettes are bigger with more jagged leaves while the squash leaves are **slightly furry?** ...
www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=printpage;top... -

Caring for Paphiopedilums | Garden Guides
... are a family of more than 60 varietals, each producing a single dramatic bloom aloft a tall slim **slightly furry** stem. While paphiopedilum...
www.gardenguides.com/67802-caring-paphiopedilums.html - Cached



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Note added at 5 hrs (2011-05-11 08:38:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A version of DLyon's 'down' , another possibility could be
"....and slightly downy":

Peaches in Leicestershire - DIVERSITY WEBSITE
This is a smooth - skinned variant of the peach; for those of you who know a little about genetics smooth skin is recessive to **downy skin** and a nectarine is ...
www.suttonelms.org.uk/peach6.html - Cached

Products | My Farmer's Choice
Zucchini Yams. FRUITS. Apple – a global favorite fruit. ... A thin **downy skin** parts to reveal rich succulent flesh that is sweet and delicious. ...
www.myfarmerschoice.com/products - Cached



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Note added at 11 hrs (2011-05-11 14:12:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

PRICKLY

Can´t seem to add this link to my Discussion post for some reason, but here it is :

thttp://www.suite101.com/content/vegetarian-chilli-recipe-and...

Stumped in the produce section? No fail tips for picking perfect ...
26 Jun 2010 ... Look for shiny, dark green zucchini (the freshest ones will have **slightly prickly skin***) with moist stem ends at least 1 inch in length. ...
myparentinglife.com/.../stumped-in-the-produce-section-no-fail-tips-for-picking-perfect-summer-veggies/ - Cached
Peer comment(s):
agree FVS (X) : I'd go with furry.
1 hr
Thanks, FVS :)
agree Alistair Ian Spearing Ortiz
1 hr
Thanks, Alistair :)
agree Simon Bruni : In the UK at least we talk about furry fruit or vegetables
3 hrs
Thanks, Simon :)
agree Charles Davis : This is what I would say (in British English), though I think "fuzzy" would be more usual in American English
7 hrs
Thanks, Charles :)
Something went wrong...
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