investidura

Forms

investidura f (plural investiduras)^[1] The Diccionario de Autoridades gives it as the same word as envestidura.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish investir + -dura.^[1] investir is from Latin investiō (“to clothe, cover”), formed in- and vestiō (“to clothe”), and its popular doublet is embestir.^[3][4][5] Medieval Latin had investitura (“putting in possession of a property, tenure or office”), explained by Du Cange from the use of the verb for “to put in possession”.^[6][7] Italian investitura, French investiture and Catalan investidura correspond to it.^[8]

Corominas dates the verb to 1608 and the noun to the early 17th century.^[3][5] Segura Munguía has the early 16th century for the noun.^[3][5] The CDH has both earlier: the verb in a sale of houses of 1441, and the noun in a catechism of 1325 known from a copy of 1472.^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pedro de Cuéllar's Catecismo (1325, in a copy of 1472) condemns those who take temporal gain for the bodily investidura, which it explains as putting holders of benefices into bodily possession.^[10] In Alonso de Santa Cruz's chronicle of the Catholic Monarchs, the duke Luis Esforcia asks the emperor Maximilian for the investidura of the duchy of Milan.^[10]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the word was used chiefly of the grant of fiefs and kingdoms, as the investiture of Naples sought from the Pope in 1507 and 1526, and Alfonso de Valdés's complaint that the Pope gave investiduras of kingdoms to those with no right to them.^[10] In New Granada in 1637 the chief of Guatavita is said to give the investidura of the chiefdoms to the caciques.^[11] The Academy defined it from 1817 as the action and effect of investir;^[12][13] Domínguez in 1846 recorded the querella de las investiduras, the Investiture Controversy of the 11th century.^[12][13] In 1884 the Academy added the standing gained by taking up certain offices, and Alemany's examples in 1917 are the investidura of a deputy or a senator.^[14][15] Vox now adds the parliamentary vote that chooses the head of government.^[16]

Timeline

• 1325 – the date of Pedro de Cuéllar's Catecismo, which has the word in a copy of 1472.^[10]
• 1491–1516 – the investiture of the duchy of Milan in Alonso de Santa Cruz's chronicle, the first record without a later copy.^[10]
• 1546 – first record from the Americas, in Santo Domingo, again of Milan.^[11]
• Early 17th century – Corominas's date of first record.^[3]
• c. 1734 – the Diccionario de Autoridades equates it with envestidura, with a quotation from Lope de Vega.^[2]
• 1846 – Domínguez records the querella de las investiduras.^[13]
• 1884 – the Academy adds the standing that comes with an office.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. investiture: the act and effect of investing someone with an office or dignity.^[17][1]
2. The standing that a person gains on taking possession of certain offices or dignities.^[17][18]
3. (politics) The parliamentary vote that chooses the head of government: El debate de investidura duró dos días.^[16]

Related words

• investir
• vestir
• vestidura
• embestir
• Medieval Latin investitura

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 4, 303
3. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. vestir
4. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Segura Munguía, Santiago (2001), Nuevo diccionario etimológico latín-español y de las voces derivadas, Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, p. 395
6. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
8. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 882
9. ^ Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. investir
10. ^ 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, p. s.v. investidura
11. ^ 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. investidura
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 501
13. ^ a b c 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. 1011
14. ^ 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. 607
15. ^ Alemany y Bolufer, José (1917), Diccionario de la lengua española, Barcelona: Ramón Sopena, p. 965
16. ^ a b Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. investidura
17. ^ a b 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. investidura
18. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. investidura