volar

Forms

volar (first-person singular present volo, first-person singular preterite volí, past participle volat); root stress: (Northern) /o̞/, (Balearic, Central, Northwestern, Valencia) /ɔ/^[1] The DCVB records the pronunciations [buˈɫa], [boˈɫa], [voˈɫa], [vuˈɫa], [boˈɫaɾ], [voˈɫaɾ] and [vuˈɾa].^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old Catalan volar, inherited from Latin volō (“to fly”).^{[1][3][2][4][5]} Coromines notes that the word has kept its shape almost unchanged.^[3]

The same Latin verb is Occitan volar, Spanish volar, French voler, Italian volare and Portuguese voar.^[6][1] The Romanian verb is zbura, from a compound with the prefix ⟨ex-⟩.^[7]

De Vaan reconstructs *gʷelaje- and, following an older proposal, considers a derivation from *gʷelh₁- (“to raise the arm, throw”), the root of Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”); the shift from raising the arm to flying would be conceivable for birds, but the connection is not certain.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Coromines dates the word to the origins of the language, with Llull and Desclot.^[3] In Llull's Meravelles a crow takes a golden garland and flies with it through the air, and in his Contemplació God has given the birds feathers and wings per volar.^[3][9] Desclot tells how the French were as amazed to see the King of Aragon pass before them as if they had seen a donkey fly, un ase volar (events of 1285).^[3] CICA's first records are in the second half of the 13th century.^[10]

Semantic evolution

Medieval writers used the verb figuratively for anything moving swiftly: an object hurled through the air, as when the prince's sword flew from his hand in Muntaner (1325), a person on the ground, as Scipio volant per mig de la sua host in Canals (1395), or rumour, which flies in Arnau de Vilanova.^[3][11] It also meant to break or burst, as a lance shattered in pieces in the Curial (1440), and in falconry to hunt with birds of prey.^[11]

Pal·las's dictionary of 1927 adds the senses to blow up with an explosive and to anger, and Fabra (1932) the flight of aircraft.^[12][13] Volar al cel is said of a young child who dies.^[14]

Among the derivatives are volateria “birds collectively” in 1275, volantí “fishing line” in 1398, volador c. 1400, vol in the 15th century and voladura in 1890.^[5] Spanish borrowed volantín and probably volatería from Catalan.^[15]

Timeline

• 1250–1299 – first records in CICA, in the Catalan Dialogues of St Gregory.^[10]
• 1285 – Desclot: axí com si vessen un ase volar.^[3]
• 1325 – Muntaner: l'espasa li volà de la mà.^[11]
• 1395 – Antoni Canals uses volar for moving swiftly among troops.^[11]
• 1440 – the Curial e Güelfa: the lance feu volar en peces.^[11]
• 1927 – Pal·las records the senses “blow up” and “anger”.^[12]
• 1932 – Fabra records aircraft flying.^[13]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To fly, of a winged animal: Les orenetes volen baix quan ha de ploure.^[14][4]
2. (intransitive) To float or be carried through the air, of a light object: Les fulles volaven pel pati.^[14][4]
3. (intransitive) To fly, of an aircraft; to travel by air.^[4][14]
4. (intransitive) To go or pass very fast.^[2][12]
5. (intransitive, figurative) To vanish, disappear.^[2][1]
6. (transitive) To blow up with an explosive.^[2][1]
7. (transitive, figurative) To irritate greatly;^[2][1] (pronominal) to get angry.^[2][1]

Word family

• vol
• volada
• voladís
• volador
• voladura
• volant
• volantí
• volateria
• envolar-se
• esvoletegar
• revolar
• sobrevolar
• voleiar

Related words

• Latin volō
• Occitan volar
• French voler

Usage notes

Volar al cel is said of a young child who dies.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. volar
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 9, 351
4. ^ a b c d Enciclopèdia Catalana, Gran diccionari de la llengua catalana (GDLC), Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana; online edition, https://www.diccionari.cat, p. s.v. volar
5. ^ a b Bruguera, Jordi (1996), Diccionari etimològic, Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 974
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 9431
7. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 836
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. ^ Nou glossari general lul·lià (NGGL), Centre de Documentació Ramon Llull, Universitat de Barcelona, https://nggl.ub.edu, p. s.v. volar
10. ^ a b Torruella, Joan; Pérez Saldanya, Manuel; Martines, Josep (dirs.), Corpus Informatitzat del Català Antic (CICA), https://www.cica.cat, p. s.v. volar
11. ^ 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. volar
12. ^ a b c Vallès, Emili (1927), Pal·las: diccionari català il·lustrat, Barcelona: Salvat, p. s.v. volar
13. ^ a b Fabra, Pompeu (1932), Diccionari general de la llengua catalana, Barcelona: Llibreria Catalònia, p. s.v. volar
14. ^ a b c d e 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. volar
15. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. volar