I kept hearing it everywhere: “¡Hostia!”
While walking along a narrow street in Pego, a man nearly bumped into me and blurted out, “¡Hostia, perdona!”
Another time, I overheard someone exclaim it in disbelief at a café. And I’ve certainly witnessed it used as a little nudge to hurry people along or point out a glaring mistake.
Naturally, I started sneaking it into my own Spanish here and there—until I looked up the meaning.
Turns out, hostia literally refers to the communion wafer, the body of Christ given during Mass.
My eyes went wide.
I’m not exactly a devout churchgoer, but I did attend a school with a CoE chapel service every Tuesday. I’ve got enough faith to pause when I realize I might be casually tossing around a word that’s considered, well, taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Hostia – What Does It Really Mean?
Curious (and a bit concerned), I dug deeper.
According to my dictionary, hostia doesn’t just refer to the holy wafer; it’s also associated with the ideas of a slap, bad intention, or foul mood.
That’s quite a shift from a sacred sacrament!
- “Estoy de mala hostia.” This means someone is in a lousy mood—angry, irritated, or grumpy.
- “Te voy a dar una hostia.” A rough expression indicating someone is on the verge of giving you a slap or a punch. Definitely not a phrase you want to be directed at you!
- “Ser la hostia.” Surprisingly, this can mean something or someone is amazing or exceptional. In a funny twist, the same word can be used to praise something as “the bee’s knees.”
As I peeled back more layers, I learned that in Latin, hostia was synonymous with “victim,” connecting it with the concept of “enemy” (hostis).
That’s where English words like hostile or hostility come from.
From that vantage point it’s easy to see how the word became tied to violence, anger or strong emotion. Things which are quite far removed from the religious context.
Is It Blasphemy?
Short answer: Yes, many Spaniards consider hostia to be borderline or outright blasphemous.
(If you ask a Priest they will say this.)
Even though it’s widely used in everyday conversation to express shock, frustration or admiration, it’s still referencing something sacred.
For my part, after discovering all these nuances—and recalling my grandmother’s constant admonitions against taking the Lord’s name in vain—I’ve decided this is probably a word I’ll retire from my vocabulary in certain situations…
For example I think that “mala hostia” could very well share the same meaning as “hostile” in English. I quite like this phrase…so I’m going to use it I think.
But phrases like “la hostia” make me feel a bit more uncomfortable.
That said, language is personal.
I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t say!
My only goal is to share the weird and wonderful discoveries I make while wading through the ocean of Spanish expressions. And hostia is definitely one of the more fascinating words I’ve stumbled upon: a communion wafer, a punch, a foul mood,and a superlative, all rolled into one tiny, controversial word.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into another mad piece of Spanish slang.
As always, there’s an entire rabbit hole of history to explore behind even the shortest exclamation—just be careful which ones you add to your repertoire!
