magnífico

Forms

magnífico (feminine magnífica, masculine plural magníficos, feminine plural magníficas)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin magnificus (“splendid, magnificent”), a learned word.^[2][3][4][1] The Latin adjective is formed from magnus (“great”) and -ficus (“making”),^[5][1] the second part being from faciō (“to make, do”), so that it meant “doing great things”, especially lavish and splendid ones.^[2][6] The first part is from Proto-Italic *magnos, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵh₂nós, and is related to Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “great”).^[1][2]

Spanish words of the same Latin family include magnificencia and magnificar, both already in Berceo, and the inherited tamaño, from tam magnus (“so great”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DEMel's first record is maníficos, without the ⟨g⟩, in the Libro de los doce sabios (c. 1237).^[7] Corominas finds the word frequent in Juan de Mena and other works of at least the 15th century, and dates it to around 1440.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word was used from the first both of splendid things and as a title of honour: early texts from the Americas address governors as el muy magnífico señor “the most magnificent lord” (Nicaragua, 1529).^[8] The Academy's dictionary of 1817 gave only “splendid, sumptuous” and the title of honour; the sense “excellent, admirable” was added by 1869.^[9][10] The title is now used in Spain for university rectors.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1237 – maníficos in the Libro de los doce sabios.^[7]
• c. 1400 – magnífica in a medieval Bible translation.^[7]
• c. 1440 – the date Corominas gives; the word is frequent in Juan de Mena.^[3][2]
• 1529 – first record in the Americas, as a title for a governor in Nicaragua.^[8]
• 1786–1793 – Terreros glosses it as “splendid, pompous”.^[11]
• 1817 – the Academy gives the senses “splendid, sumptuous” and the title of honour.^[9]
• 1869 – the Academy adds “excellent, admirable”.^[10]
• 1899 – the Academy gives the etymology from Latin magnificus.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. magnificent, splendid, sumptuous: Celebraron la boda en una finca magnífica.^[4][1][13]
2. Excellent, admirable: Hizo un trabajo magnífico.^[4][13]
3. A title of honour for some illustrious persons, and today in Spain for university rectors: el rector magnífico.^[4][13]

Word family

• magníficamente

Related words

• magnificencia
• magnificar
• magno
• tamaño
• Latin magnificus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 394
3. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. tamaño
4. ^ 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. magnífico
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. magnificus
6. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. magnífico
7. ^ a b c Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. magnífico
8. ^ 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. magnífico
9. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 543
10. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra, p. 479
11. ^ Terreros y Pando, Esteban de (1786–1793), Diccionario castellano con las voces de ciencias y artes y sus correspondientes de las tres lenguas francesa, latina e italiana, 4 vols., Madrid: Viuda de Ibarra, p. 4, 91
12. ^ Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía, p. 621
13. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. magnífico