ample

Forms

ample (feminine ampla, masculine and feminine plural amples)^[1] The DCVB records the pronunciations ámplə, ámple and ámpʎe.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin amplus (“wide, large”).^[3][2][4][5]

The same Latin word is Italian ampio, French ample, Occitan ample, Spanish ancho and Portuguese ancho.^[6]

The origin of the Latin adjective is disputed.^[7][1] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *amlo- (“seizable”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to grab”), but notes that the change of ⟨-ml-⟩ to ⟨-mpl-⟩ this needs is hard to date.^[8] Wiktionary also gives the older view that it stands for a compound of ambi- (“both”) and an element related to plēnus (“full”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

CICA's first record is in an 11th-century account of a boundary dispute between Guissona and Ribelles.^[9] Coromines dates the word to the 13th century, in the chronicle of James I, the Costums de Tortosa and the works of Llull.^[3] In Llull it describes a wide well and broad nails, and figuratively what is free of restriction.^[10]

Semantic evolution

The word was soon used as a noun: the Costums de Tortosa rule that tables should be only three palms d'ample, wide.^[3] Muntaner speaks of an arm of the sea only two miles d'ample.^[11] This use is heard everywhere today, and in Mallorca it partly replaces the abstract nouns derived from the adjective.^[3]

The sense "without restriction" is old: Llull calls Muhammad's sect molt ampla, too permissive, and a council of 1459 gives the elected persons ample poder, full powers.^[10][11] Esteve, Bellvitges and Juglà (1803) give conciencia ampla, a lax conscience, and Martí Gadea (1891) the sense "tolerant, not strict".^[12][13] The phrase a l'ample means at ease, without constraint.^[3][14]

Of the derived nouns, amplària is in the Costums de Tortosa and general in all regions, while amplada is recorded in 1839 and is mostly Central Catalan.^[3][4] Eixamplar is in Llull (c. 1284), and eixample, the extension of Barcelona, from 1901.^[3][4] Ampliar and amplificar are learned words from Latin.^[4]

Timeline

• 1036–1079 – first record, in an account of the boundary dispute between Guissona and Ribelles.^[9]
• 13th century – the Costums de Tortosa use ample and amplària for width.^[3][2]
• c. 1284 – Llull uses eixamplar, to widen.^[3]
• 1325 – Muntaner's chronicle has d'ample, in width.^[11]
• 1459 – ample poder, full powers, in a council record.^[11]
• 1839 – amplada first recorded, in Labèrnia's dictionary.^[4]
• 1901 – eixample recorded for the new districts of Barcelona.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. wide, broad: un carrer ample.^[5][1]
2. Measuring a given width: ample de dos pams.^[5]
3. loose, loose-fitting, said of clothes.^[5]
4. (figurative) Not narrow or restricted: una idea ampla del món.^[5]
5. roomy, not crowded: Al tren hi anirem amples.^[5]

Noun

1. width; amplada: un pati de deu metres d'ample.^[5][14]
2. a l'ample: at ease, without constraint.^[14]

Word family

• amplada
• amplament
• amplària
• amplejar
• eixamplar
• eixample

Related words

• ampliar
• amplificar
• amplitud
• ampli
• Latin amplus
• Spanish ancho
• French ample

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. ample
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Coromines, Joan (1980–2001), Diccionari etimològic i complementari de la llengua catalana, 10 vols., Barcelona: Curial / La Caixa (online ed., Institut d'Estudis Catalans 2024), p. 1, 289
4. ^ a b c d e Bruguera, Jordi (1996), Diccionari etimològic, Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 67
5. ^ a b c d e f g Enciclopèdia Catalana, Gran diccionari de la llengua catalana (GDLC), Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana; online edition, https://www.diccionari.cat, p. s.v. ample
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 430
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b Torruella, Joan; Pérez Saldanya, Manuel; Martines, Josep (dirs.), Corpus Informatitzat del Català Antic (CICA), https://www.cica.cat, p. s.v. ample
10. ^ a b Nou glossari general lul·lià (NGGL), Centre de Documentació Ramon Llull, Universitat de Barcelona, https://nggl.ub.edu, p. s.v. ample
11. ^ a b c d Faraudo de Saint-Germain, Lluís, Vocabulari de la llengua catalana medieval, online edition, Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans, p. s.v. ample
12. ^ Esteve, Joaquim; Bellvitges, Josep; Juglà, Antoni (1803–1805), Diccionario catalán-castellano-latino, 2 vols., Barcelona, p. s.v. ample
13. ^ Martí Gadea, Joaquim (1891), Novísimo diccionario general valenciano-castellano, Valencia, p. s.v. ample
14. ^ a b c Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Diccionari essencial de la llengua catalana (DEIEC), online, https://deiec.iec.cat, p. s.v. ample