Thread: How to translate "cabana"

Mmmm.. Honestly I tried an Wikipedia search.. But only find that "cabana" it might be a surname, a city of Argentina, a city of Peru, or something I don't recall from La Coruña.. Nothing else..
Heard it just in the "Copa Cabana" city name

Are you trying to translate it into English?

Cabana is a widely used word in English, derived from the Spanish cabaña and is now a part of the English language. There are several synonyms for cabana but none is as good as cabana itself. It is used to describe a number of different styles of shelter, mainly on the beach, poolside or garden. I think it was originally a sort of dressing room at the beach but is now loosely used to describe any kind of canopy or cover for outside activities and parties. I have even heard it used to describe a covered deck attached to a house.

If you're looking for the Spanish equivalent then why not cabaña? or el toldo (tent)

Thanks for the explanations! Yes, I need the translation but "cabaña" is a closed place while "cabana" is an open space by the pool.

As for "toldo", we find it near windows.

Well the problem with the translation of cabana is that it originated as a description of a beach or poolside shelter but has evolved into a word used to describe shelters in all kinds of situations. The pictures you provided are just one example of what a cabana is in the US. There are many others that bear little resemblance to those in the fotos.

Since it dirived from the Spanish word cabaña it seems very likely that it was thought of as a little "hut" and in all likelihood came into use in the Carribean or possibly South Florida where Spanish was part of the culture. Originally, since it was used as a dressing room it may well have been enclosed on all sides. LIke this one:

https://www.google.com/search?q=beac...p71c4ny4920wM:

This is an example of an open sided structure that would now be called a cabana if it were beside a pool or on a beach in the US. In Mexico it is called a palapa.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palapa...RioHuach03.jpg

I sometimes think, depending on the region one is in, that the meaning of a word is in the eye of the beholder.

Regarding your pictures:

The first one is a cabana without doubt...and it is even "closed" since it has curtains on all four sides that can be pulled to make it a "hut".

The second one, to me, is not a cabana. It is a pagoda-style gazebo.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pago...nyj2XZb5dFnLM:

However, since "cabana" now covers almost any kind and style of small structures I'm sure that it is a cabana to many people.

Reminder, I think that this is a really good example of a word that has a different meaning to different people.

great!!