I have been looking for the translation for "hormiguiante"

Question

I hope I have spelled it correctly. Espero que la ortografía sea correcto. He buscado esta palabra en varios diccionarios.

El contexto: (de Pepe Carvalho y una desconocida de Manuel Vazquez Montalban, leido de Katia Borras.)

Un restaurante de carretera, camiones y coches, tra gentes la barra, hormiguiante, fabrica de comida, barata, con una cierta dignidad des olores

Because I am only listening without reference to the written word, I am not sure I have everything in the quote correct, including the word I have been searching for: "hormiguiante"

Answer 1

HI Janice, the word Hormigueante is a Spanish word, which does not appear in the RAE, as it is not a word which is listed, like for example:

La palabra pulverizante no está en el Diccionario.

Or

La palabra flameante no está registrada en el Diccionario.

But:

Diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos © 2005 Espasa-Calpe: flameante brillante, centelleante, resplandeciente, rutilante, flamígero, reluciente

However, look, and I assure you both words which is actually often used. Not all wordderivations are listed, like for example adverbs. I don't know the exact reason for this.

Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 4.890 de pulverizante.

However, the word hormiguiante is a misspelling. The verb hormiguear derives to hormigueante, not -guiante. Already mentioned by Carlos

I mean, sometimes the misspelling is soooo accepted that one cannot see the reason for this, but in this case it is clear:

Resultados 1 - 8 de aproximadamente 6 de hormiguiante.

Answer 2

Thank you, Ross 1984 and Carlos-F. I did find the word hormiguear in all the dictionaries I consulted. The Real Academia Española, for example, provides the meaning I would understand to make sense in the context and which both of you intimate as being a figurative use: bustling, seething, crowded.

intr. Dicho especialmente de una multitud de gente o animales: Bullir, ponerse en movimiento

Moreover, the first meaning listed in the RAE (and in other dictionaries, too) provides an explanation for why the word has this meaning:

(De hormiga). 1. intr. Dicho de alguna parte del cuerpo: Experimentar una sensación más o menos molesta, semejante a la que resultaría si por ella bulleran o corrieran hormigas.

However, Carlos, I did not find an entry for "hormigueante - your suggested spelling, either!!....In fact, I had looked for the word with this spelling (an "e" in place of the second "i") because I am never sure of my ear...Was I hearing an "i"??

My self-doubt led me to key "hormiguiante" into a search engine. Google, for one, returned four entries:

First:

ecuatoriano - [ Translate this page ]¡Cuánta férula hormiguiante dilapídase por las sienes! ¡Cuánto despojo de céfiros amontónase en el arrabal de senectud! ... ecuatoriano.homestead.com/literatura.html

Second:

New BoY !!!!!! - TodAlanis.com - [ Translate this page ]... Diablos !!!! me encante su forma de escribir, las metáforas que utiliza, en definitiva su hormiguiante cerebro es para mi un oasis en medio del desierto ... todalanis.com/foro/showthread.php?t=1373

Third:

Steren - [ Translate this page ]Hola, tengo problemas con la señal de megacable, se mira un poco hormiguiante y borrosa, tengo 3 televisores conectados y quisiera saber si cuentan con un ... www.steren.com.mx/foro/tema.asp?favorito=1&tema=8366&emp;...

Fourth:

alasypoemas :: - Hay Amores! - [ Translate this page ]con tus hermosas palabras animas a continuar creando 'pinitos del alma!! te abrazo con calido afecto y hormiguiante gratitud oso querido.. besitos de miel! ... www.foros.net/viewtopic.php?p=4379&mforum=ALASYPOEMAS

Hormigueo, ross1964, -- aside than being one of the conjugated forms of hormiguear (to be crawling or swarming with something according to my Gran Diccionario Oxford) -- looks to be a noun..."pins and needles, or tingling."

I think - os doy de nuevo las gracias - you confirm my understanding of this word. Yet I still wish I could "find it" or perhaps learn that "-ante" is some common suffix for making adjectives out of verbs in the Spanish language - or perhaps a suffix to provide some other grammatical function.......

And now I am also curious about whether or not I am hearing that "i" or if perhaps those four references also misspelled the word!!

Note to those of you for whom English is a second language:

It occured to me while reviewing my post that I may be making -for native Spanish speakers- an unusual use of the English word "intimate" - In this use, the syllable "-mate" is pronounced with a long 'a'. It is a transitive verb:
intimate(2) transitive verb to intimate something TO somebody insinuarle* algo a alguien, darle* a entender algo a alguien

Answer 3

how about....hormigueo (bustling)

or some form of the verb hormiguear...to swarm (like ants, las hormigas) - ross1964, ENE 15, 2010

Answer 4

Yes, I thought the translation given by Tomísimo.org odd, too, mediterrunio. But of course Spanish is not my language...I am just learning.

Odder still was that the site only gave that one adjective and none of the others that I subsequently found with the forum members' help. I wrote "odder still"...Perhaps I should have written "creepy!"

In any case, Tomósino will not be the first site I ever check for the meaning of words. Thanks!

Answer 5

hello, the meaning creepy for hormigueante is new to me.

Hormigueante is a visual description usually translated as teeming (to be abundantly filled or richly supplied, crowded): The street teemed with pedestrians = La calle, hormiguenate de peatones.

Bustling suggested by Ross in this context is also a very good choice.

Originally, it derives from hormiga (ant) due to the high intense activity usually showed by those insects.

Answer 6

Thank you, lorenzo9. I have added WordReference.com Diccionario de la lengua española to my "favorites" !!

And you inspired me to look further to find this translation/meaning at Tomísimo.org:

Results: 1 to 1 for hormigueante (0.0000 seconds) 1 hormigueante ADJ - creepy ADJ

: With regard to this latter translation, I guess I would never describe as creepy this restaurante carretera given its further description as ***con una cierta dignidad en los olores****

Answer 7

Thank you, Heidita,
your post encouraged me to keep looking and I decided to search for information about how to build adjectives from verbs.

I found lots of interesting information -- even an entry in wiktionary.org -- and learned that many adjectives can be formed with "ante" or "ente" ...... among them "ignorante", which is what I am/was Joking aside, I even finally found an entry with Carlos' correct spelling here: hormigueante

I will now shut my eyes and replay that sentence from chapter five of Pepe Carvahlo y una desconocida another one hundred times to convince my ears that it is an "e" that follows the "u"!!

Luckily, Katia Borras has a wonderful voice.

Answer 8

hormigueante

Answer 9

The word might be "hormigueante", meaning in this case seethe.

Seethe

Figurative use (be crowded) bullir

Awsome word. New to me. - LuisaGomezBartle, ENE 15, 2010

Awesome. - LuisaGomezBartle, ENE 15, 2010