efecto

Forms

efecto m (plural efectos)^[1] Old Spanish wrote efeto, and Alonso de Palencia effetto;^[2] efecto with ⟨c⟩ appears in 1570, and in the 18th century the Academy noted that the form without ⟨c⟩ had been usual in older texts.^[3][2]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin effectus (“execution, accomplishment; result”).^[3][4][5][1] The Latin noun is derived from efficiō (“to bring about, produce”), formed ex- and faciō (“to make, do”).^[4][6][1] Corominas lists it among the many learned words of the family of that verb, with afecto and defecto.^[3]

The same Latin word gave Portuguese efeito, French effet and Italian effetto.^[1][7] The French word is recorded from 1272, at first as Old French aifait.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's first hit in Spanish is a charter of 1293 revoking a sentence, with the phrase con efecto “effectively”; the earlier hits, from 1278, are Latin.^[9] Corominas dates efeto to J. de Mena's Laberinto (1444), and the BDELC to 1438.^[3][4] In the 14th century the word is common in the sense “result, outcome”, as in the effects that the stars produce (Crónica de 1344).^[9]

Semantic evolution

The Diccionario de Autoridades defines the word as what follows from a cause and adds the senses “value, validity” (de ningún valor y efecto) and “end, purpose”.^[2] The phrase en efecto in its modern sense “indeed” is already in Quevedo, while Cervantes and others used it to mean “in short, in fact”.^[3] The 1884 Academy dictionary adds an article of trade, the spin given to a billiard ball, and in the plural movable goods.^[10] Modern uses include commercial paper, the special effects of shows and set terms such as efecto invernadero “greenhouse effect” and efecto secundario “side effect”.^[5]

Timeline

• 1293 – a charter has con efecto.^[9]
• 1333 – the spelling efeccto in a document on the marriage of Peter IV.^[11]
• 1344 – the Crónica de 1344 speaks of the efectos of the stars.^[9]
• 1444 – Juan de Mena has efeto.^[3]
• 1570 – the spelling efecto in C. de Las Casas.^[3]
• 1601 – efectuar is first recorded.^[4]
• 1884 – the Academy records the billiards sense and the plural “belongings”.^[10]
• 1922 – efectista is first recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. effect, result: what follows from a cause: El insomnio puede ser un efecto del café.^[5][1]
2. An impression made on the mind.^[5][12]
3. The end or purpose for which something is done: a tal efecto.^[5]
4. An article of trade.^[5]
5. (commerce) A commercial document or security, registered, endorsable or payable to bearer.^[5]
6. (sports) spin given to a ball so that it curves from its normal path.^[5]
7. (mostly in the plural) A trick used in shows to create a certain impression; special effects.^[5]
8. (in the plural) Belongings, movable goods: efectos personales.^[5][10]

Word family

• efectuar
• efectivo
• efectista
• efectismo

Related words

• afecto
• defecto
• eficaz
• eficiente
• hacer
• Latin effectus

Usage notes

Common phrases are en efecto “indeed”, a efectos de “for the purposes of”, llevar a efecto “to carry out” and surtir efecto “to take effect”.^[5][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 3, 370
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 1, 64
4. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. efecto
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. efecto
6. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. efecto
7. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. 1264
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. effet
9. ^ 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. efecto
10. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 408
11. ^ Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. efecto
12. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. efecto