olotera

olotera

English

An olotera viewed from the side.

The front of an olotera.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish olotera, from olote (“corncob”) +‎ -era.

Noun

olotera (plural oloteras)

1. A traditional Mexican tool consisting of bound, shortened corncobs, against which ears of corn are scraped against to remove their kernels.
   • 1960, William Madsen, The Virgin’s Children: Life in an Aztec Village Today, Austin: University of Texas Press:

     Timo sat on a log with the olotera between his legs.

   • 1975, Leonardo Manrique C., “34. The Otomi”, in Ethnology (Handbook of Middle American Indians; 7 & 8), Austin: University of Texas Press, page 690:

     The Otomi prefer to do it by scraping the ears against an olotera (fig. 8,c), a bunch of corncobs bound together

   • 2015, Nancy Deffebach, María Izquierdo and Frida Kahlo: Challenging Visions in Modern Mexican Art, Austin: University of Texas Press, page 126:

     The woman, who is bent intently upon her work, uses a tool called an olotera to strip the grain from the cob, which she holds between her legs at crotch level, while a large basket is placed between her feet to catch the grain.

Translations

Translations

Nahuatl: Tetelcingo: ulutetzontetl

Spanish: olotera, desgranadora

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Spanish

Etymology

olote (“corncob”) +‎ -era

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /oloˈteɾa/, [oloˈt̪eɾa]

Noun

olotera f (plural oloteras)

1. (Mexico) olotera

   Synonym: desgranadora