poltrona

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian poltrona.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [pulˈtɾu.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [polˈtɾo.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [pulˈtɾo.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [polˈtɾo.na]

Noun

poltrona f (plural poltrones)

1. armchair, easy chair

   Synonyms: butaca, cadiral

Further reading

• “poltrona”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Esperanto poltrono

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Italic *-ā

Latin -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Italian -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Old Spanish -a

Spanish -ader.

Esperanto -a

Esperanto poltrona

From poltrono + -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /polˈtrona/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ona
• Syllabification: pol‧tro‧na

Adjective

poltrona (accusative singular poltronan, plural poltronaj, accusative plural poltronajn) (rare)

1. (literary) cowardly
   • 1965, Kálmán Kalocsay, transl., La tragedio de l'homo, Imre Madách:

     Mi ne kondamnas tiun ĉi poltronan
     popolon, ĝi ne estas kulpa, ĝia
     naturo estas, ke ĝin la mizero
     brulstampu sklavo.

     I don't condemn this cowardly
     people, they are not to blame, their
     nature is to be branded
     a slave by misery.

   • 1999, William Auld, interviewed by Aleksander Korĵenkov in La Ondo de Esperanto:

     Cetere, pseŭdonimeco en certaj cirkonstancoj estas tolerebla (ekzemple ĉe Zamenhof) — sed kiam aŭtoro kaŝas sin pseŭdonime por sin savi de pravaj riproĉoj kaj eventualaj reagoj, tio estas anonimeco kovarda kaj poltrona.

     Additionally, pseudonymity in certain circumstances is tolerable (for example in Zamenhof's case) — but when an author hides behind a pseudonym to save themselves from just reproaches and potential reactions, that sort of anonymity is low and cowardly.

   • 2010, Baldur Ragnarsson, “La grimpo”, in La fontoj nevideblaj:

     "Jes, tie la vojo," diris la gvidisto[...]
     "por ĝin laŭiri nepras la persisto
     kaj ne hazardaj paŝoj de poltrona drivo."

     "Yes, there's the road," said the guide[...]
     "to follow it requires persistence
     and not random steps of a cowardly drift.

Synonyms

• malkuraĝa

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English poltroon, French poltron.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /polˈtrona/

Adjective

poltrona

1. cowardly, dastardly, chicken-hearted

Synonyms

• deskurajoza

Derived terms

• poltrono (“coward, poltroon, skulker”)
• poltroneso (“cowardice”)
• poltronajo (“cowardly action”)

See also

• feblanma

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /polˈtro.na/
• Rhymes: -ona
• Hyphenation: pol‧tró‧na

Etymology 1

Adjective

poltrona f sg

1. feminine singular of poltrone

Noun

poltrona f (plural poltrone)

1. female equivalent of poltrone (“lazy woman”)

   Synonyms: pigra, indolente, oziosa

Etymology 2

From poltro (“bed”).

Noun

poltrona f (plural poltrone)

1. (furniture) armchair, easy chair
2. (theater) seat (especially in the first rows)
3. (figurative) prestigious position

Descendants

• → Greek: πολυθρόνα (polythróna)
• → Portuguese: poltrona
• → Spanish: poltrona

See also

• bracciolo (“arm of a chair”)
• sedia (“chair”)

Portuguese

poltrona

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian poltrona.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /polˈtɾo.nɐ/ [poɫˈtɾo.nɐ], /pɔlˈtɾo.nɐ/ [pɔɫˈtɾo.nɐ], /pulˈtɾo.nɐ/ [puɫˈtɾo.nɐ]

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pol‧tro‧na

Noun

poltrona f (plural poltronas)

1. armchair

   Synonym: cadeirão

Further reading

• “poltrona”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “poltrona”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian poltrona.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /polˈtɾona/ [pol̪ˈt̪ɾo.na]
• Rhymes: -ona
• Syllabification: pol‧tro‧na

Noun

poltrona f (plural poltronas)

1. armchair

   Synonyms: sillón, butaca

Adjective

poltrona

1. feminine singular of poltrón

Further reading

• “poltrón”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025