mesura

Forms

mesura f (plural mesuras)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin mēnsūra (“measuring, measure”), from mēnsus, the past participle of mētior (“to measure”), the source of medir.^[2][3][4][5] The word is common to all the Romance languages, but in Spanish the competition of medida left it only its figurative senses, while French mesure and Italian misura still mean “measure” and Catalan mesura a measure of capacity.^[2] Houaiss suggests that Portuguese mesura took its sense “courtesy” under French influence.^[6]

The Latin verb goes back to *mēti-, from *meh₁-ti- (“measurement”); it is related to Ancient Greek μῆτις (mêtis, “wisdom, skill”) and Old English mǣd (“measure”).^[7][1] The ⟨n⟩ of the participle stem is irregular, probably copied from pēnsus (“weighed”).^[1]

The learned doublet mensura keeps the Latin ⟨n⟩.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corominas's first record is a charter of 1062 in Oelschläger's list, and the derivative mesurado is already in the Cantar de mio Cid.^[2][3] In the Fazienda de Ultra Mar (c. 1200, in a 13th-century copy) it still means a size: the curtains of the Tabernacle were all de una mesura, “of one measure”.^[8] The Cortes of León of 1208 use it for the king's discretion, á nuestra mesura.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Alfonso X's prose has four senses: courtesy (Abraham thanks the sons of Heth for their mesura), moderation, measure, and mercy or discretion.^[9] Juan Ruiz praises putting mesura in all things.^[10] Nebrija rendered it with Latin modestia and frugalitas.^[11] For Covarrubias in 1611 it meant composure of face and body, and also a bow made to a venerable person.^[12]

Autoridades (1734) gives gravity and composure, and courtesy and reverence.^[13] The Academy's 1817 edition marks the senses “temperance” and “measure” as obsolete.^[14] The modern DLE puts moderation first.^[4] In 16th-century Spanish America it still meant a bow: in 1556 the judges in Peru made ninguna mesura ni acatamiento, “no bow or obeisance”, to the viceroy.^[15]

Timeline

• 1062 – first record, in a charter of Oelschläger's list.^[2][3]
• c. 1140 – the Cantar de mio Cid has mesurado.^[2][3]
• c. 1200 – the Fazienda de Ultra Mar, in a 13th-century copy, uses it for a size.^[8]
• 1254 – the Fuero Juzgo uses it for moderation.^[9]
• 1272–1275 – the General Estoria uses it for courtesy and for measure.^[9]
• 1495 – first records of desmesura and desmesurado.^[3]
• 1549 – first record from the Americas, in Santo Domingo.^[15]
• 1611 – Covarrubias defines it as composure and as a bow.^[12]
• 1817 – the Academy marks “temperance” and “measure” as obsolete.^[14]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary gives the etymology “Del lat. mensura”.^[16]

Meanings

Noun

1. moderation, restraint: Bebe siempre con mesura.^[4][1]
2. Gravity and composure in bearing and expression.^[4]
3. reverence, courtesy; an outward show of respect.^[4]
4. (obsolete) Temperance (templanza), the cardinal virtue.^[4]
5. (obsolete) measure.^[4][1]

Word family

• mesurado
• mesurar
• desmesura
• desmesurado

Related words

• medir
• medida
• mensura
• Latin mēnsūra
• French mesure

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. 4, 11
3. ^ a b c d e f Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. medir
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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. mesura
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. mesura
7. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
8. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. mesura
9. ^ a b c Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. mesura
10. ^ Cejador y Frauca, Julio (1929), Vocabulario medieval castellano, Madrid: Librería y Casa Editorial Hernando, p. s.v. mesura
11. ^ Nebrija, Antonio de (1513), Vocabulario español-latino, Salamanca, ed. Marina Vidal Díez (2007), Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, p. 380
12. ^ a b Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1133
13. ^ Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 4, 556
14. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 571
15. ^ 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. mesura
16. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 699