Posts tagged with "origin"

We know that Spanish comes from Latin and Spanish speakers frequently use Latin expressions to convey more formal meanings. Check them out.

a posteriori - después
a priori – antes
ab aburdo - por lo absurdo
ab aeterno – desde la eternidad
ab initio – desde el principio
ab origine – desde el principio
ad absurdum – por reducción al absurdo
ad hoc – para esto
ad hominem – contra la persona, “argumento ad hominem”
ad litteram – al pie de la letra
alter ego – otro yo
carpe diem – aprovecha el día presente
de facto – de hecho
de jure - de derecho, por ley
de motu proprio – por propia iniciativa
Dei gratia - por la gracia de Dios
Deo volente – Dios mediante
Ex aequo – con igualdad
ex profeso – a propósito, adrede
grosso modo – aproximadamente
hic et nunc – aquí y ahora
in albis – en blanco
ipso facto – en el acto
mutatis mutandis – cambiando lo que hay que cambiar
post scriptum – posdata
quid pro quo – una cosa por otra
sui generis – muy especial
verbi gratia – por ejemplo

Nos vemos prontito.

In many rural regions of Spain, wine is still served in leather bota bags (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bota_bag), which in the 15th century were called borrachas, in Catalan.

Borracha comes from botella (bottle) y morratxa (a type of laboratory bottle). Later, the word borracho was used to talk about a drunkard, someone who was lleno de vino (full of wine).

We’re going to start a series today with word origins and history (etymology).

1. cirujano

It was around 1340 that the word “cirujano” (surgeon) was registered in the Spanish language, even though  cirujano had already appeared in Siete Partidas (1251-1265) by Alfonso X el Sabio:

“Y esto que diximos delos orebzes se entiende tanbien delos otros maestros & delos fisicos & de los cirujanos & delos albeytares & de todos los otros que reçiben preçio para fazer alguna obra: o melezinar alguna cosa sy errare en ella por su culpa o por mengua de saber.”

During the 18th and 19th centuries the word “cirugiano” was also used. It comes from Latin chirurgia, which comes from Greek kheirurgia (surgical intervention), although etymologically it means “manual work” and “practice of a job”, whjch derives from kheirurgein (working with your hands), made up of kheir (hand) y érgon (work).

2. dicha

The word dicha, which comes from the verb decir, means “things that were said”, but it also means “happiness”, “good luck”. What does it the verb “decir” have to do with the meaning of “good luck”?

The Romans believed that a person’s happiness depended on words the gods said when someone was born, and their fate was written in the dicta (the thing that was said). This old belief is also in the origin of the word hado (fate), which comes from fatum, passive participle of fari (speak, say).

3. iconoclasta

An iconoclast is basically someone who destroys or ridicules cultural icons or institutions. The first iconoclasts were the members of the Oriental Church in the 8th and 9th centuries of our era. In some cases, the Orthodox Christians destroyed the icons of their Catholic counterparts. The word iconoclasta comes from vulgar Latin and it was made up with the Greek words eikon (icon) and the verb klaein (break, destroy).

If you feel curious about the origin of other words or expressions in Spanish, drop us a line and we’ll answer your questions.

See you next time!

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