cobijo

Cobijo is a Spanish noun meaning shelter or refuge. It refers to a place that provides protection from weather, danger, or hardship, such as a house, an inn, a cave, or any improvised space used for shelter. The term can also denote the protection or asylum offered by a person, a community, or an institution.

In everyday speech, cobijo commonly appears in verbs and expressions such as buscar cobijo (to seek shelter) and dar cobijo (to provide shelter). It can describe temporary lodging for travelers, migrants, or animals, as well as the protective shelter of a home or community. The sense of cobijo often carries connotations of safety and warmth, but it remains primarily a physical or moral form of protection.

Regional usage is relatively consistent across Spain and Latin America, though the emphasis may shift toward physical shelter in rural or historical registers and toward safety or asylum in literary or humanitarian contexts. In some prose and poetry, cobijo is used metaphorically to denote a secure space from which one can operate or recover.

Etymology: The noun cobijo is derived from the verb cobijar, meaning to shelter or cover. The related noun cobija (blanket) shares a connected sense of covering, though cobijo and cobija function with distinct nuances in usage.

See also: refugio, albergue, cobijar, cobija, amparo.