orella

Forms

orella f (plural orelles)^[1] The medieval texts write oreylla, oreyla and orella.^[1][2] Some old texts write aurella, either as a Latinising spelling or under Occitan influence; a spoken aurella, with the unstressed initial o- turned into a diphthong as in olor, is widespread today.^[2] The DCVB records pronunciations with /ʎ/ ([uˈɾɛʎə], [oˈɾeʎa]), with /j/ ([uˈɾɛjə], [oˈɾəjə]), with the consonant lost ([uˈɾɛə], [oˈɾəə]), and with an initial [əw] or [aw] ([əwˈɾɛʎə], [awˈɾeʎa]).^[3] Figuera's Mallorcan dictionary writes oreya.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old Catalan oreylla, which is inherited from Latin ōricula (“ear”), the popular form of auricula with ⟨ō⟩ for ⟨au⟩.^[1] Coromines, the DCVB, Bruguera and the GDLC give the classical form, a diminutive of auris (“ear”);^[2][3][4][5] Coromines notes that the poets of the Silver Age already used the diminutive in place of the simple word.^[2][3][4][5]

The word is common to all the Romance languages: Occitan aurelha, Spanish oreja, Portuguese orelha, French oreille, Italian orecchia and Romanian ureche continue the same Latin diminutive.^[2][1][6]

The Latin noun goes back to *aus(i)-, and de Vaan reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu(-)s- (“ear”), the word also behind Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs) and Lithuanian ausìs.^[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Coromines finds the word in the earliest texts, from the start in its two basic senses, the organ and sense of hearing and the outer part of the ear.^[2] In Jaume I's chronicle the king says that he spoke into the ear of Don Sancho (dixem-li a la oreyla) that he should not do it on any account.^[8][2] Llull, in the Llibre de meravelles, has a devil holding its mouth to the king's ear.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Many set phrases are medieval: donar or dar orella “to lend an ear, to listen favourably” appears in Pere el Cerimoniós's chronicle and in a letter of his of 1375;^[2][8] fer l'orella sorda “to turn a deaf ear” in the sermons of Vicent Ferrer;^[2][8] dreçar les orelles “to prick up one's ears” in Bernat Metge;^[2][8] estar amb orelles altes “to be on the alert” in 1487.^[2][8] Labèrnia's dictionary of 1839 records fer orelles de marxant “to pretend not to hear” and escalfar les orelles “to scold severely”.^[2]

From the 14th century the word also names parts of objects shaped or placed like ears: a Balearic document of 1388 mentions a chisel de oreyas, and inventories of the 15th century list bowls ab orelles, with handles.^[2][8] Desclot uses it for the cheek-piece of a helmet.^[8] In 1575 Pou distinguishes the inner ears, Latin auris, from the outer ones, auricula.^[2] Many plants and mushrooms are named after it, such as orella d'ase “comfrey” and orella de Judes “Jew's ear fungus”.^[2]

Bruguera dates the derivatives eixorellar “to crop the ears” to 1344, oreller “pillow” to 1380, orellut to 1507, and orelleta and orelló to 1575.^[4]

Timeline

• 13th century – oreyla in Jaume I's chronicle and oreylla in Llull.^[8][2]
• 1261–1271 – orella in the Furs de València.^[9]
• 1283 – Desclot uses the word for the ear-piece of a helmet.^[8]
• 1344 – first record of eixorellar.^[4]
• 1388 – a Balearic document speaks of a chisel de oreyas, with lugs.^[2]
• 1430 – the inventory of Pere Becet lists a silver bowl ab una orella.^[8]
• 1575 – Pou's dictionary separates the inner and the outer ears.^[2]
• 1839 – Labèrnia records fer orelles de marxant.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (anatomy) The ear, the organ of hearing: Té una infecció a l'orella dreta.^[10][5][1]
2. The hearing; a sense or gift for sounds or music: Té molt bona orella per als idiomes.^[10][5]
3. The outer ear, the flap on each side of the head.^[5][3]
4. A part of an object shaped or placed like an ear, such as a lug or handle on a vessel or tool.^[3][5][8]
5. (anatomy) The auricle of the heart.^[3]

Word family

• eixorellar
• desorellar
• orellada
• oreller
• orellera
• orelleta
• orelló
• orellut
• orellar

Related words

• aurícula
• auricular
• oir
• Latin auris
• Spanish oreja
• Occitan aurelha

Usage notes

Common idioms include parlar a cau d'orella “to whisper in someone's ear”, fer orelles de marxant “to pretend not to hear” and les parets tenen orelles “walls have ears”.^[10]

The DCVB has a separate orella for a cold, light wind from the Fluvià, which it derives from a Latin diminutive of aura (“breeze”).^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u 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. 6, 102
3. ^ a b c d e f Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. orella
4. ^ a b c d Bruguera, Jordi (1996), Diccionari etimològic, Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 659
5. ^ a b c d e f Enciclopèdia Catalana, Gran diccionari de la llengua catalana (GDLC), Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana; online edition, https://www.diccionari.cat, p. s.v. orella
6. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. oreja
7. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Faraudo de Saint-Germain, Lluís, Vocabulari de la llengua catalana medieval, online edition, Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans, p. s.v. orella
9. ^ Torruella, Joan; Pérez Saldanya, Manuel; Martines, Josep (dirs.), Corpus Informatitzat del Català Antic (CICA), https://www.cica.cat, p. s.v. orella
10. ^ a b c Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2007), Diccionari de la llengua catalana, 2nd ed. (DIEC2), Barcelona: Edicions 62; online edition with later updates, https://dlc.iec.cat, p. s.v. orella
11. ^ Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. orella 2