Meaning & use
carcelera
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemusicspecialist
A traditional Spanish song in flamenco style, originally sung by prisoners and having a slow, sad melody.
Grammar: Countable: one carcelera, two carceleras.
Patterns
- sing a carcelera
- a carcelera about prison
The singer closed the show with a slow carcelera about life in jail.
In flamenco history, the carcelera is linked to songs that prisoners once sang to express their suffering.
Word forms
| plural | carceleras |
|---|
Common combinations
- sing a carcelera
- She sang a carcelera in the old flamenco style.
- a traditional carcelera
- This recording features a traditional carcelera from Andalusia.
- flamenco carcelera
- The guitarist played a flamenco carcelera as an encore.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flamenco song
- A general term for any song in this style; carcelera names one specific type with a prison theme.
- prison song
- An English description of the theme, not a musical term; carcelera is the specialist name.
Commonly confused: carcelera or carcel?
carcelera vs carcel
Carcel is an old word for a prison; carcelera is the song connected with prisoners, not the building.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'carcelera' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A carcelera is a flamenco song, so it is performed or sung. Option 1 uses it for a prison building, option 3 for a container, and option 4 for a food — none of these match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carcelera”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.