alteza

Forms

alteza f (plural altezas)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish alto + -eza.^[2][3][1] Wiktionary adds that it may correspond to a Late Latin altitia, and García de Diego derives it from that word, which he finds in the Mulomedicina Chironis.^[1][4] Corominas derives some of its old senses from an archaic adjective adapte or aaute, from adaptus.^[5]

The adjective alto continues altus (“high”).^[5] Corominas notes that its form shows the influence of learned pronunciation: the popular outcome would have been oto, which survives in place names such as Ribota and Villota.^[5] Wiktionary takes the Latin adjective as the participle of alō (“to nourish”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós, from the root *h₂el- (“to grow, nourish”); de Vaan gives the PIE form with a question mark.^[1][6]

The same formation is Portuguese alteza, Catalan altesa and Italian altezza.^[1][4] For the honorific sense of the Portuguese word, Cunha and Nascentes assume Italian influence.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's first hit is La fazienda de Ultra Mar (c. 1200, in a 13th-century copy), with the sense “highness, dignity”: Tu eres myo sennor segunt la alteza e la dignidat que es en ti “you are my lord by the highness and the dignity that are in you”.^[9][10] Corominas's first record is a charter of 1238.^[5][11] The historical dictionary also reads altesa in a Mozarabic kharja of about 1050, following García Gómez's interpretation.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In Old Spanish the word meant the height of a body, as in the Libro de Alexandre (c. 1240–1250), which speaks of el alteza de sus muros “the height of its walls”.^[12][3] It also meant loftiness and excellence, a high station, and royal power.^[3] The title Vuestra Alteza is recorded from the 13th century on and was formerly given to the kings;^[13] Covarrubias (1611) describes it as the royal title next after Majestad, given also to the Council as representing the king, and to the prince as his son.^[3][13] In the Americas the title is recorded from 1516, in Puerto Rico.^[14]

The Academy labelled the physical sense obsolete from 1770 to 1869; the edition of 1884 restored it, and explained that the title was given to the kings of Spain until the Austrian dynasty and to some courts and bodies, and now to the king's children and to the infantes.^[15][16][17] The phrase alteza de miras “high-mindedness” is recorded from 1884.^[3]

Timeline

• 1200–1250 – first record, in La fazienda de Ultra Mar.^[10][9]
• 1238 – a charter, Corominas's first record.^[5][11]
• c. 1250 – Vuestra Alteza as a form of address in the Teodor (known from a 1498 edition).^[3]
• 1272–1275 – Alfonso X's General Estoria uses it for the height of mountains.^[18]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija gives Latin altitudo, celsitudo and excelsitas.^[19]
• 1516 – the title Su Alteza in Puerto Rico.^[14]
• 1611 – Covarrubias describes it as the royal title next after Majestad.^[13]
• 1770 – the Academy marks the sense “height” as obsolete.^[15]
• 1884 – first record of alteza de miras.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. height (altura): elevation above the ground, or the height of a body.^[2][1]
2. (figurative) Loftiness, sublimity, excellence: alteza de miras “high-mindedness”.^[2][20]
3. Highness: a title given to the children of kings, to the infantes of Spain and to others granted the rank of prince; formerly also to the kings of Spain and to some courts and bodies.^[2][1]

Related words

• alto
• altura
• altivo
• altitud
• Italian altezza

Usage notes

As a title it is normally preceded by su or vuestra (Su Alteza Real).^[3][21]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. alteza
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Real Academia Española (2021–), Tesoro de los diccionarios históricos de la lengua española (TDHLE): Diccionario histórico (1933–1936), its unpublished slips, Diccionario histórico (1960–1996), DHECan, DHECR, DHEVen, https://www.rae.es/tdhle, p. s.v. alteza
4. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. altitia
5. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 1, 220
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. altus
7. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. 198
8. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. alteza
9. ^ a b Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. alteza
10. ^ a b Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. alteza
11. ^ a b Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. alto
12. ^ Alonso Pedraz, Martín (1986), Diccionario medieval español: desde las Glosas Emilianenses y Silenses (s. X) hasta el siglo XV, 2 vols., Salamanca: Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, p. 266
13. ^ a b c Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 157
14. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. alteza
15. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1770), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 2nd ed., vol. I: A–B, Madrid: Joachín Ibarra, p. 1, 205
16. ^ Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra, p. 42
17. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 61
18. ^ Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. alteza
19. ^ Nebrija, Antonio de (1513), Vocabulario español-latino, Salamanca, ed. Marina Vidal Díez (2007), Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, p. 291
20. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. alteza
21. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. alteza