abertzale

Basque

Etymology

Coined by Basque nationalist, writer and politician Sabino Arana, from aberri (“fatherland”) +‎ -zale (“supporter”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /abert͡s̻ale/ [a.β̞er.t͡s̻a.le]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ale
• Hyphenation: a‧ber‧tza‧le

Adjective

abertzale (comparative abertzaleago, superlative abertzaleen, excessive abertzaleegi)

1. Basque nationalist

Declension

Declension of abertzale (adjective, ending in vowel)

		indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive		abertzale	abertzalea	abertzaleak
ergative		abertzalek	abertzaleak	abertzaleek
dative		abertzaleri	abertzaleari	abertzaleei
genitive		abertzaleren	abertzalearen	abertzaleen
comitative		abertzalerekin	abertzalearekin	abertzaleekin
causative		abertzalerengatik	abertzalearengatik	abertzaleengatik
benefactive		abertzalerentzat	abertzalearentzat	abertzaleentzat
instrumental		abertzalez	abertzaleaz	abertzaleez
inessive	anim.	abertzalerengan	abertzalearengan	abertzaleengan
	inanim.	abertzaletan	abertzalean	abertzaleetan
locative	anim.	—	—	—
	inanim.	abertzaletako	abertzaleko	abertzaleetako
allative	anim.	abertzalerengana	abertzalearengana	abertzaleengana
	inanim.	abertzaletara	abertzalera	abertzaleetara
terminative	anim.	abertzalerenganaino	abertzalearenganaino	abertzaleenganaino
	inanim.	abertzaletaraino	abertzaleraino	abertzaleetaraino
directive	anim.	abertzalerenganantz	abertzalearenganantz	abertzaleenganantz
	inanim.	abertzaletarantz	abertzalerantz	abertzaleetarantz
destinative	anim.	abertzalerenganako	abertzalearenganako	abertzaleenganako
	inanim.	abertzaletarako	abertzalerako	abertzaleetarako
ablative	anim.	abertzalerengandik	abertzalearengandik	abertzaleengandik
	inanim.	abertzaletatik	abertzaletik	abertzaleetatik
partitive		abertzalerik	—	—
prolative		abertzaletzat	—	—

Noun

abertzale anim

1. patriot
2. Basque nationalist

Usage notes

Nowadays, the term refers almost exclusively to left-wing Basque nationalists.

Declension

Declension of abertzale (animate, ending in vowel)

	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	abertzale	abertzalea	abertzaleak
ergative	abertzalek	abertzaleak	abertzaleek
dative	abertzaleri	abertzaleari	abertzaleei
genitive	abertzaleren	abertzalearen	abertzaleen
comitative	abertzalerekin	abertzalearekin	abertzaleekin
causative	abertzalerengatik	abertzalearengatik	abertzaleengatik
benefactive	abertzalerentzat	abertzalearentzat	abertzaleentzat
instrumental	abertzalez	abertzaleaz	abertzaleez
inessive	abertzalerengan	abertzalearengan	abertzaleengan
locative	—	—	—
allative	abertzalerengana	abertzalearengana	abertzaleengana
terminative	abertzalerenganaino	abertzalearenganaino	abertzaleenganaino
directive	abertzalerenganantz	abertzalearenganantz	abertzaleenganantz
destinative	abertzalerenganako	abertzalearenganako	abertzaleenganako
ablative	abertzalerengandik	abertzalearengandik	abertzaleengandik
partitive	abertzalerik	—	—
prolative	abertzaletzat	—	—

Derived terms

• abertzalego (“patriotism”)
• abertzalekeria (“jingoism”)
• abertzaletasun (“patriotism”)
• abertzaletu (“to become a (Basque) nationalist”)

Further reading

• “abertzale”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], Euskaltzaindia
• “abertzale”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Spanish

Alternative forms

• aberzale

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Basque abertzale (“patriot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /abeɾˈt͡ʃale/ [a.β̞eɾˈt͡ʃa.le]
• IPA^(key): (Spain) /abeɾˈθale/ [a.β̞eɾˈθa.le]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /abeɾˈsale/ [a.β̞eɾˈsa.le]
• Rhymes: -ale

Adjective

abertzale m or f (masculine and feminine plural abertzales)

1. nationalist, pertaining to the Basque nationalist movement

   la izquierda abertzale ― the abertzale left (literally, “the patriotic left”)

   • 2023 May 16, “Los siete exetarras de las listas de Bildu con delitos de sangre renuncian a ser concejales”, in El País‎^[1]:

     Los siete exetarras con delitos de sangre incluidos en las listas de Bildu para el 28-M han anunciado que renuncian a ser concejales, en el caso de salir elegidos, para “contribuir a la paz y la convivencia”, según una carta publicada este martes por la mañana por el diario Naiz, vinculado a la izquierda abertzale.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Noun

abertzale m or f by sense (plural abertzales)

1. Basque nationalist

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Derived terms

• abertzalismo

Further reading

• “abertzale”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10