estimular

Forms

estimular (first-person singular present estimulo, first-person singular preterite estimulé, past participle estimulado)^[1] Texts from the Americas of 1591–1757 often write instimular.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin stimulō (“to prick with a goad, urge on”), from stimulus (“goad, sting; spur”).^{[3][4][5][1][6]} Corominas treats it under the noun estímulo, also a learned word, first recorded in the Corbacho.^[5] Wiktionary relates the Latin noun, with doubt, to Proto-Indo-European *(s)tey- (“sharp object”), perhaps also found in stilus; it notes that de Vaan is sceptical of a link with στίζω (stízō, “to mark”).^[1] The same Latin verb is Italian stimolare and French stimuler.^[7] García de Diego records a popular Brazilian Portuguese estumar “to goad”, from a Vulgar Latin variant with -u-.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record in the CDH is in Juan Fernández de Heredia's Aragonese translation of Eutropius (1377–1399), where an official is put to death estimulando et punyendo enuidia “with envy goading and pricking”.^[9] DICCA-XV also reports CORDE hits from 1377–1399, while Corominas gives Juan de Mena and the BDELC about 1450.^[10][5][4]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “to urge, incite” was the usual one from the start: Enrique de Villena writes in 1422–1425 that he was inçitado e estimulado by his patron's requests.^[9] A Bible translation of about 1400 has the reflexive estimularon se.^[9][11] Nebrija's Latin dictionary of 1492 still rendered Latin stimulo by aguijonear “to goad”, and the verb is missing from his Spanish–Latin vocabulary.^[10] Corominas records estimulación from Santillana, and lists estimulador and estimulante.^[5]

The Diccionario de Autoridades gave the literal sense “to goad, prick” first and, “by analogy”, “to incite, rouse”, quoting Luis de Granada.^[12] The Academy kept that order until the 2001 edition, which added the activation of a function and the reflexive “to take a drug”.^[13][14] The current DLE no longer gives the literal sense.^[3] In medicine the verb means to increase a physiological function or to apply an electrical, mechanical or chemical stimulus.^[15]

Timeline

• 1377–1399 – Fernández de Heredia's translation of Eutropius has estimulando.^[9]
• c. 1400 – a Bible translation has estimularon se.^[9][11]
• 1422–1425 – Enrique de Villena writes inçitado e estimulado.^[9]
• c. 1450 – the BDELC's first date.^[4]
• 1492 – Nebrija renders Latin stimulo by aguijonear.^[10]
• 1591 – the first record from the Americas, in Mexico City, as instimulan.^[2]
• 1726–1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades gives the literal and the figurative sense.^[12]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology from Latin stimulare.^[13]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stimulate, encourage or spur someone to do something, or to do it more: La beca la estimuló a seguir investigando.^[3][16][1]
2. To set going or reactivate an organ, activity or function.^[3][15]
3. (reflexive) To take a drug to increase one's performance.^[3]
4. (dated) To goad or prick.^[14][12]

Word family

• estimulación
• estimulador
• estimulante

Related words

• estímulo
• Latin stimulus
• Italian stimolare

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. estimular
3. ^ 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. estimular
4. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. estímulo
5. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 789
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Segura Munguía, Santiago (2001), Nuevo diccionario etimológico latín-español y de las voces derivadas, Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, p. 733
8. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954)
9. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE
10. ^ a b c Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. estimular
11. ^ a b Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. estimular
12. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 3, 636
13. ^ 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. 468
14. ^ a b Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. estimular
15. ^ a b Real Academia Nacional de Medicina (2011), Diccionario de términos médicos, Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana; online at https://dtme.ranm.es, p. s.v. estimular
16. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. estimular