modelo

Forms

modelo m (plural modelos)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian modello,^[2][3][1][4] which comes from Vulgar Latin *modellus, a diminutive of Latin modulus (“small measure; rhythm”) and synonymous with it.^[2][3][5] The Latin word is in turn a diminutive of modus (“measure”),^[6][1] which Wiktionary traces to Proto-Indo-European *mod-ós (“measure”), from *med- (“to measure”).^[1]

Nocentini dates the Italian word from the 15th century and derives French modèle from it as well as the Spanish word.^[5] The DELI dates its senses from the 16th century, but has modelo (“kiln mould”) in a Modenese inventory of 1347.^[7]

The same Latin source gave, by a popular route, molde (around 1400, probably through Catalan motlle) and, as a learned word, módulo (1444).^[8][2] French moule has the same origin.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corominas dates the word from 1573.^[2][8] The CDH has it earlier: Fray Diego de Valencia, in 1486–1487, calls Job a perfect modelo of works of mercy, and in 1526 Diego de Sagredo lists muestras, debuxos, medidas, traças, modelos, figuras “samples, drawings, measurements, plans, models, figures” sent out from Rome to the whole world.^[10] Documents of 1529–1532 speak of the modelo for Granada Cathedral, a scale model of a building.^[10] The DTME dates the word from 1348, the date the CDH gives to a passage of the Gran crónica de Alfonso XI that speaks of the chronicle's own modelo.^[11][10]

Semantic evolution

Covarrubias described the modelo as the small copy of a tower or other building that the craftsman makes before building it, or the reduced copy of a large one.^[12] Autoridades defined it as the exemplar or norm followed in making something, in building the plan made small, and figuratively a person or thing to be imitated, quoting Nieremberg's un dechado y modelo de doncellas “a pattern and model of maidens”.^[13] Terreros treated it as a term of architecture, painting, drawing and carving, with the sculptor's clay or plaster figure.^[14] The Academy added modelo vivo, the nude man who poses for drawing classes, in 1817.^[15]

The 20th century brought the theoretical, often mathematical, scheme of a system, the product line made to one design, and the designer's dress.^[3] The person who poses for an artist or shows clothes is now el modelo or la modelo.^[1][16] In Cuba modelo is also a printed form to fill in.^[17] The first record from the Americas is from Mexico in 1575.^[18]

Timeline

• 1347 – Italian modelo “kiln mould” in a Modenese inventory.^[7]
• 1486–1487 – Fray Diego de Valencia calls Job a modelo of works of mercy.^[10]
• 1526 – Diego de Sagredo's Medidas del romano lists modelos among drawings and plans.^[10]
• 1529–1532 – documents mention the modelo for Granada Cathedral.^[10]
• 1573 – Corominas's first record.^[2]
• 1575 – first record from the Americas, in Mexico.^[18]
• 1611 – Covarrubias describes the builder's small-scale model.^[12]
• 1726–1739 – Autoridades gives the literal and the figurative sense.^[13]
• 1817 – the Academy records modelo vivo.^[15]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology from Italian.^[19]
• 1899 – the Academy adds the small-scale representation and the sculptor's model.^[20]

Meanings

Noun

1. A model, pattern or point of reference to be imitated or reproduced.^[3][16]
2. In works of the mind and in moral conduct, an example to follow for its perfection: Fue un modelo de paciencia.^[3]
3. A small-scale representation of something; a scale model (maqueta).^[3][16]
4. A theoretical scheme, usually mathematical, of a complex system or reality, made to understand and study it.^[3][11]
5. An object, device or construction, or a series of them, made to the same design: un coche de último modelo.^[3][1]
6. A dress with unique features created by a designer, and generally any fashionable garment.^[3]
7. (masculine or feminine) A person who poses for a painter, sculptor or photographer, or who shows clothes: a fashion model.^[1][16]
8. (Cuba) A printed form to be filled in for an administrative procedure.^[17]

Word family

• modelar
• modélico
• modelismo

Related words

• molde
• módulo
• modo
• Italian modello
• French modèle

Usage notes

Placed after a noun, modelo works as an adjective and does not change in the plural: un padre modelo, unas casas modelo.^[16][21]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. modo
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. modelo
4. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. 468
5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b Segura Munguía, Santiago (2001), Nuevo diccionario etimológico latín-español y de las voces derivadas, Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, p. 469
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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
11. ^ 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. modelo
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. 1141
13. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 4, 583
14. ^ 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. 2, 599
15. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 578
16. ^ a b c d e Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. modelo
17. ^ a b Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2010), Diccionario de americanismos, Lima: Santillana; online at https://www.asale.org/damer, p. s.v. modelo
18. ^ 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. modelo
19. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 710
20. ^ Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía, p. 666
21. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. modelo