contemplar

Forms

contemplar (first-person singular present contemplo, first-person singular preterite contemplé, past participle contemplado)^[1] Alfonso X's General Estoria (c. 1275) has contiempra and contienpla beside contempla.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin contemplō (“to look at attentively, observe”), or its deponent form contemplor, a learned word.^{[4][5][6][1][7]}

The Latin verb is formed con- + templum + -ō.^[8][1] Its base first meant the area marked out by an augur for watching the omens, then a shrine, so the verb began as a term of divination.^[9][10][7] Covarrubias in 1611 already derived it from the augurs' sacred space, the place from which every part can be seen.^[11] The origin of the noun is uncertain: Wiktionary considers it possibly a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *temp- (“to stretch, pull”), with a shift from stretching a measuring line to marking out a space, and de Vaan compares Baltic words for pulling and stretching.^[1][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record in the CDH is the Fuero Juzgo (c. 1250–1260), in the sense “to consider, take into account”: que la malicia del uendedor & el danno del comprador sean contemplados “so that the seller's malice and the buyer's loss be considered”.^[12] Alfonso X's General Estoria (1272–1275) uses contiempra for an author who “considers” a matter.^[3] Corominas, who did not know these records, dated the verb from 1403, in the Rimado de Palacio, and found it usual in the 15th century.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The religious sense, to meditate on God, is found in Juan Manuel's Libro de los estados (1327–1332), where those of the contemplative life fincan sienpre contenplando en Dios “remain always contemplating God”.^[12] Covarrubias defined the verb as considering with great care and elevation of spirit the high and hidden things that the senses cannot reach.^[11] The Diccionario de Autoridades gave three senses: to examine closely even something visible, the sense of mystical theology, and “to humour someone, flatter his taste”, quoting Solís.^[13] Corominas dates this last sense, “to be indulgent, show regard”, to the end of the 17th century, and finds it frequent in the 19th.^[4]

A newer sense, “to take into account, provide for” (a plan that does not contemplate a measure), is used much in Argentina and other American countries;^[1] Corominas calls it an abusive calque of English contemplate, used to render French envisager.^[4][1] In Puebla, Mexico, contemple usted meant “just imagine”, and in Honduras the verb means to rock a child to calm it or put it to sleep.^[14][15]

Timeline

• c. 1250–1260 – the Fuero Juzgo uses contemplados “considered”.^[12]
• 1272–1275 – Alfonso X's General Estoria has the form contiempra.^[3]
• 1327–1332 – Juan Manuel uses it for contemplating God.^[12]
• 1403 – Corominas's first record, in the Rimado de Palacio.^[4][5]
• 1575 – first record in the Americas, in Mexico.^[16]
• 1611 – Covarrubias derives it from the augurs' templum.^[11]
• late 17th century – the sense “to be indulgent towards someone”, in Solís.^[4][13]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology “Del lat. contemplari”.^[17]

Meanings

Verb

1. To contemplate, gaze at or give one's attention to something material or spiritual: Nos sentamos a contemplar las montañas.^[6][1]
2. To consider or take into account; of a law or plan, to provide for: El contrato no contempla ese caso.^[6][18][1]
3. To indulge someone, be too accommodating to them out of affection, respect or interest.^[6][18]
4. (religion) To meditate intensely on God, his attributes or the mysteries of the faith.^[6]
5. (Honduras) To rock a child to calm it or put it to sleep.^[15]

Word family

• contemplación
• contemplativo
• contemplador

Related words

• templo
• Latin templum
• English contemplate

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. contemplar
3. ^ a b c 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. contemplar
4. ^ a b c d e f Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 181
5. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. contemplar
6. ^ a b c d e 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. contemplar
7. ^ a b Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. contemplar
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. contemplar
11. ^ 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. 506
12. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. contemplar
13. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 2, 548
14. ^ Ramos y Duarte, Félix (1895), Diccionario de mejicanismos, México: Imprenta de Eduardo Dublán, p. 137
15. ^ a b Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2010), Diccionario de americanismos, Lima: Santillana; online at https://www.asale.org/damer, p. s.v. contemplar
16. ^ 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. contemplar
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. 283
18. ^ a b Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. contemplar