Banco is a noun in Spanish.
/bãŋ.ko/
Banco primarily refers to a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates credit. It can also refer to a long seat (bench) or a storage area, depending on the context. In everyday usage, "banco" is often encountered in contexts related to finance and banking.
Frequency of Use: The word "banco" is frequently used, especially in economic and financial discussions. It is commonly found in both written and oral contexts, with a slight propensity towards written contexts due to its association with formal documents and discussions about finance.
El banco ofrece una tasa de interés competitiva para los ahorros.
The bank offers a competitive interest rate for savings.
Necesito ir al banco a retirar algo de dinero.
I need to go to the bank to withdraw some money.
No hay suficiente espacio en el banco para sentarnos todos.
There isn’t enough space on the bench for all of us to sit.
Banco appears in several idiomatic expressions in Spanish, often related to finance or stability.
Estar en el banco de los acusados.
To be on the defendant's bench.
(Figuratively means to be under scrutiny or facing charges.)
Tener un banco de tiempo.
To have a time bank.
(Refers to the concept of accumulating time credits to be used later.)
No hay banco seguro.
There’s no secure bank.
(Used to indicate that nothing is completely safe or guaranteed.)
The word banco comes from the Latin "bankus," which itself is derived from the Frankish "bank," meaning a bench or a raised platform. The use of "banco" in the financial sense is linked historically to the practice of money lenders using benches in marketplaces.
Synonyms:
- entidad financiera (financial institution)
- banco de ahorro (savings bank)
- banco central (central bank)
Antonyms:
- deudor (debtor)
- gasto (expense, in the financial context)
In summary, "banco" is a multifaceted word in the Spanish language, primarily recognized for its significance in finance and banking while also having applications in different contexts such as seating arrangements. Its usage spans both oral and written forms, with an extensive history that informs its current understanding and idiomatic expressions, making it an important term in Spanish linguistics.