diplomacia

Forms

diplomacia f (plural diplomacias)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French diplomatie, according to the Academy's current dictionary and Wiktionary.^[2][1] The French word was formed from the adjective diplomatique on the model of pairs such as aristocratique and aristocratie.^[1] Earlier Academy editions, from 1884 to 2001, and Moliner derive it instead from diploma, and Corominas lists it among the derivatives of that word, dating it to the first third of the 19th century.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Bénaben places the borrowing at the beginning of the 19th century.^[8]

The Spanish noun goes back to diplōma (“official document”), from Ancient Greek δίπλωμα (díplōma, “tablet or paper folded in two”), from διπλόω (diplóō, “to double, fold”), from διπλοῦς (diploûs, “double”).^[6][7][9] The same modern word is Italian diplomazia and Catalan diplomàcia.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the earliest firmly dated records in the CDH is Antonio de Capmany's Centinela contra franceses of 1808, which mocks the cunning “oracles of French diplomacy”, the confidants of Napoleon.^[11] In the Cortes of 1820–1821 Juan Romero Alpuente names la diplomacia as a branch of the state service, beside the army, the judiciary, the treasury and the Church.^[11]

Semantic evolution

Corominas names Quintana as an early user and finds the word in the Academy's dictionary by 1832.^[6] In 1843 the Academy defined it as the science or knowledge of the interests and relations of powers or kingdoms with one another.^[12] Domínguez, in 1846–1847, gave a long account of its aims and added that it had become the art by which governments deceive one another.^[13] Gaspar y Roig recorded the figurative sense “studied reserve” and the collective sense, the people employed in embassies.^[14] The Academy added “apparent and self-interested courtesy” in 1869, and Alemany in 1917 “skill, cunning”.^[15][16] The first record from the Americas is from Buenos Aires in 1832.^[17] Today the word also means tact in dealing with people.^[5][18]

Timeline

• 1808 – Antonio de Capmany writes of “French diplomacy”.^[11]
• 1820–1821 – Romero Alpuente names diplomacy as a career of the state service in the Cortes.^[11]
• First third of the 19th century – Quintana uses it, the first record according to Corominas.^[6][7]
• 1832 – the Academy's dictionary includes it, and it is recorded in Buenos Aires.^[6][17]
• 1843 – the Academy defines it as the science of the relations between powers.^[12]
• 1869 – the Academy adds the colloquial sense “apparent courtesy”.^[15]
• 1884 – the Academy derives it from diploma.^[3]
• 1917 – Alemany adds “skill, cunning”.^[16]

Meanings

Noun

1. diplomacy: the branch of politics concerned with international relations.^[2][1]
2. The set of procedures that regulate relations between states.^[2]
3. The service of a state in its international relations, and the people and bodies who carry it out: Entró en la diplomacia tras acabar la carrera.^[2][5]
4. (colloquial) Apparent, self-interested courtesy.^[2]
5. (colloquial) Skill, shrewdness and discretion; tact: Le dio la mala noticia con mucha diplomacia.^[2][5]

Related words

• diploma
• diplomático
• diplomática
• French diplomatie

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. diplomacia
3. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 390
4. ^ Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. diplomacia
5. ^ a b c d Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. diplomacia
6. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 500
7. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. diploma
8. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. diplomacia
9. ^ 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. diploma
10. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 842
11. ^ 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. diplomacia
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1843), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 9th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Francisco María Fernández, p. 265
13. ^ Domínguez, Ramón Joaquín (1846–1847), Diccionario nacional o gran diccionario clásico de la lengua española, 2 vols., Madrid: Establecimiento Léxico-Tipográfico de R. J. Domínguez, p. 625
14. ^ Gaspar y Roig (eds.) (1853–1855), Biblioteca ilustrada de Gaspar y Roig: Diccionario enciclopédico de la lengua española, 2 vols., Madrid: Imprenta y Librería de Gaspar y Roig, p. 1, 797
15. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra, p. 283
16. ^ a b Alemany y Bolufer, José (1917), Diccionario de la lengua española, Barcelona: Ramón Sopena, p. 600
17. ^ 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. diplomacia
18. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. diplomacia