inmaculado

Inmaculado is a Spanish adjective meaning immaculate, spotless, or pure. It can describe people, objects, or moral states, and is frequently used in religious contexts to convey spiritual cleanliness or sinlessness.

Etymology and forms: Inmaculado derives from Latin immaculatus, from in- (not) and macula (spot or stain). The masculine singular form is inmaculado, the feminine is inmaculada, and the plural forms are inmaculados and inmaculadas, respectively.

Religious usage: The term is closely associated with Marian devotion. La Inmaculada Concepción refers to the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin, a belief central to Catholic theology and celebrated on December 8 as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The phrase la Inmaculada is also used to refer to Mary in a reverential way, and expressions such as Inmaculado Corazón de María (Immaculate Heart of Mary) are common in devotional contexts.

Other usage: Outside theology, inmaculado can describe something pristinely clean or perfectly pristine, as in ideas like una habitación inmaculada (an immaculate room) or un uniforme inmaculado (a spotless uniform). It is less common to encounter the masculine or feminine forms used in non-religious contexts than in religious language, where they often act as titles or substantive references to Mary.

See also: Inmaculada Concepción; Inmaculado Corazón de María; Immaculate (English). The word closely parallels equivalents in other romance languages and is part of broader vocabularies describing purity and perfection.