práctica

Forms

práctica f (plural prácticas)^[1] Old Spanish wrote pratica.^[2][3] A variant plática, with ⟨l⟩ by hypercorrection, was very frequent in the 15th century and is still the usual form in the Quijote; the fully learned spelling práctica was introduced by Alfonso de Palencia (1490) and finally imposed by Autoridades.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old Spanish pratica, borrowed from Late Latin practicē (“practical science”), which is from Ancient Greek πρακτική (praktikḗ), the feminine of πρακτικός (praktikós, “active, that acts”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do, accomplish, be busy”).^[4][5][6] Bénaben explains the Greek noun as the practical science, opposed to the theoretical or contemplative one.^[7] The sources differ on the immediate source: the DRAE (2001) gives the Greek word,^[8] Moliner a Latin practica,^[9] and the Academy's dictionaries of 1884 and 1899 derived the noun from the adjective práctico.^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the prose of Alfonso X, in a text dated 1254, pratica means a habitual way of doing something: a man will kill himself por malas melezinas o por mala pratica, “through bad medicines or bad practice”.^[2] Corominas's first record is the Primera Crónica General (c. 1280), which says that a sage taught the Goths la theórica et la prática, “theory and practice”.^[4][5][2]

Semantic evolution

The word soon also meant dealings with people, a sense known in Medieval Latin.^[4] From it came “conversation, discourse”: prática in the Corbacho (1438), plática from the 1498 edition of the same work.^[4][5] The verb platicar “to talk” appears in the 15th century.^[4][5] In the Golden Age the two spellings split the senses: Covarrubias (1611) already defines plática as conversation and práctica as the opposite of theory, and Saavedra Fajardo, about 1640, uses them as today.^[4]

The Academy (1817) gave four senses: the exercise of an art according to its rules, continued use or custom, a person's method, and the years of supervised practice that some professionals needed before practising publicly.^[12] Modern dictionaries add the skill acquired by practice, the application of an idea or doctrine, and the experimental test of a theory.^[8][9] The plural prácticas is the usual word for a period of professional training or an internship.^[8][1] In Panama práctica also names a woman employed in a home to look after a newborn baby.^[13]

Timeline

• 1254 – pratica in the prose of Alfonso X.^[2][3]
• c. 1280 – the Primera Crónica General, the DCECH's first record.^[4][5]
• 1438 – prática “discourse” in the Corbacho.^[4][5]
• 1490 – Alfonso de Palencia uses the learned spelling práctica and the adjective práctico.^[4][5]
• 1498 – plática “conversation”.^[5]
• 1611 – Covarrubias separates plática “conversation” from práctica “practice”.^[4]
• 1817 – the Academy defines four senses.^[12]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary derives the noun from práctico.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. practice: the exercise of an art or skill according to its rules: años de práctica del piano.^[8][1][9]
2. Skill or experience gained by such exercise: Le falta práctica al volante.^[8][9]
3. Continued use, custom or habit.^[8][9]
4. A person's particular way or method of working.^[8]
5. (usually in the plural) Practical training under supervision before practising a profession; an internship.^[8][1][9]
6. The application of an idea or doctrine, as opposed to theory (teoría): llevar a la práctica.^[8][9]
7. The experimental test of a theory.^[8]
8. (Panama) A woman employed in a private home to care for a newborn baby.^[13]

Word family

• practicar
• practicable
• practicante
• practicón

Related words

• práctico
• plática
• platicar
• Ancient Greek πρακτική (praktikḗ)

Usage notes

Set phrases include en la práctica “in reality”, poner en práctica and llevar a la práctica “to put into practice”.^[8][9] In the mid-20th century Corominas noted that not many speakers pronounced the first ⟨c⟩.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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)
3. ^ a b Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (2026), Old Spanish Textual Archive (OSTA): semi-paleographic transcriptions of Old Spanish texts, ed. Francisco Gago Jover et al., https://www.hispanicseminary.org
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 4, 629
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. práctica
6. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México
7. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. práctica
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. práctica
10. ^ 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. 856
11. ^ Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real
13. ^ 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. práctica