usar

Forms

usar (first-person singular present uso, first-person singular preterite usí, past participle usat)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *ūsō (“to use”), also recorded in Medieval Latin, a verb based on Latin ūsus (“use”) and in the end on ūtor (“to use”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The sources describe the formation differently: DECat calls it a frequentative of ⟨uti⟩, the DCVB derives it from ⟨usum⟩, the supine of the classical verb, and the GDLC from the frequentative ūsitor.^[2][3][4] Bruguera lists it among the derivatives of ús.^[6]

The same Latin verb is Italian usare, French user, Occitan usar, Spanish usar and Portuguese usar.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

CICA's first record is a charter of privileges of 1248, from the Balearic Islands.^[8] DECat's first quotation is from the Costums de Tortosa (1272), where lord and citizens promise to keep for ever vsar d'aqueles costumes “to observe those customs”: the verb is intransitive, with de.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In the old language usar de meant to practise or exercise habitually: usar d'armes and usar de raó in Llull, usar d'un ofici “to follow a trade”.^[2][9] With amb it meant to deal or trade with someone, as in Muntaner, and also to have sexual relations, as in the sermons of St Vincent Ferrer.^[2][10] The participle usat meant “accustomed”, and usar-se “to be usual”.^[10][2]

The transitive “to use, to employ” is the main sense from Labèrnia to the DIEC2, which also gives the auxiliary use before an infinitive, “to be in the habit of”.^[11][12] Pal·las adds usar-se “to wear out with use”.^[13] Of the derivatives, usable is in Llull and usador is recorded in 1344.^[2]

Timeline

• 1248 – a charter of privileges.^[8]
• 1272 – the Costums de Tortosa.^[2][4][3]
• late 13th century – Llull, in the Proverbis de Ramon: No usa de raó qui és lutxuriós.^[9]
• 1325 – Muntaner calls a merchant qui tots temps usava ab cavalls “who always traded in horses”.^[2]
• about 1400 – St Vincent Ferrer uses usar ab of sexual relations.^[10]
• 1440 – Curial e Güelfa: ells usarien d aquell “they would make use of it”.^[10]
• 1839 – Labèrnia defines usar as to make use of.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To use, to employ: Sempre usa la mateixa ploma per signar.^[12][4][1]
2. (intransitive, with de) To make use of, to exercise a right or possession.^[12][4]
3. (auxiliary, before an infinitive) To be in the habit of doing something.^[12][14]
4. (pronominal) usar-se: to be in use, to be customary; to wear out with use.^[3][13]
5. (archaic, with amb) To have sexual relations with someone.^[3][10]

Word family

• usable
• usador
• usat
• desusar
• desusat

Related words

• ús
• usatge
• abusar
• Latin usus
• Spanish usar

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. 8, 992
3. ^ a b c d e Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. usar
4. ^ 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. usar
5. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. usare
6. ^ Bruguera, Jordi (1996), Diccionari etimològic, Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 939
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 9093
8. ^ a b Torruella, Joan; Pérez Saldanya, Manuel; Martines, Josep (dirs.), Corpus Informatitzat del Català Antic (CICA), https://www.cica.cat, p. s.v. usar
9. ^ a b Nou glossari general lul·lià (NGGL), Centre de Documentació Ramon Llull, Universitat de Barcelona, https://nggl.ub.edu, p. s.v. usar
10. ^ a b c d e Faraudo de Saint-Germain, Lluís, Vocabulari de la llengua catalana medieval, online edition, Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans, p. s.v. usar
11. ^ a b Labèrnia, Pere (1839–1840), Diccionari de la llengua catalana ab la correspondencia castellana y llatina, 2 vols., Barcelona, p. s.v. usar
12. ^ a b c d 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. usar
13. ^ a b Vallès, Emili (1927), Pal·las: diccionari català il·lustrat, Barcelona: Salvat, p. s.v. usar
14. ^ Viccionari (Catalan Wiktionary), https://ca.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. usar