prólogo

Forms

prólogo m (plural prólogos)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos, “prologue”), as the DLE, the BDELC, the DCECH and Wiktionary say.^[2][3][4][1] Moliner, Bénaben and Wikcionario give the route through Latin prologus, which Latin had taken from the Greek word.^[5][6][7]

The Greek noun is formed from προ- (pro-, “before”) and λόγος (lógos, “speech, word”), the noun of λέγω (légō, “I say”).^[3][1][4] In Spanish it belongs with epílogo, recorded from 1580, and prolegómeno.^[3]

The same word is Catalan pròleg, French prologue, Italian prologo and Portuguese prólogo.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's first hit is the Libro de Alexandre (1240–1250, in a copy of the early 15th century): Non vos quiero grant prólogo nin grandes nuevas fer “I do not want to make you a long prologue or great tales”.^[8] The Aragonese Fueros de Aragón of 1247 open with Est es el prologo del libro de los fueros de Aragon “this is the prologue of the book of the laws of Aragon”.^[8] In Castilian prose it heads chapters of Alfonso X's Lapidario (about 1250) as the introductory discourse placed before the body of a work.^[9][8]

Semantic evolution

The BDELC dates the word 1438 and the DCECH quotes Alonso de Palencia (1490).^[3][4] Nebrija (about 1495) gives Latin praefatio and Greek-derived prologus as its equivalents.^[10] Autoridades adds an extended sense, anything that serves as a preamble to an action, quoting Lope: después de largos prólogos “after long preliminaries”.^[11] Terreros records it for the loa that opened a play.^[12]

The Academy defined both senses in 1817, and its 1899 edition added the speech that came before the play in Greek and Latin theatre.^[13][14] The DLE also has the first part of a work that tells events before the main story.^[2] In sport, Vox records it for the opening stage of a cycling or motor race, usually a time trial.^[15]

Timeline

• 1240–1250 – the Libro de Alexandre (in an early-15th-century copy).^[8]
• 1247 – the Aragonese Fueros de Aragón.^[8]
• c. 1250 – Alfonso X's Lapidario.^[9][8]
• 1438 – the BDELC's first date.^[3]
• 1490 – Alonso de Palencia.^[4]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija gives praefatio and prologus.^[10]
• 1817 – the Academy defines the literal and the extended sense.^[13]
• 1899 – the Academy adds the sense from ancient theatre and the Greek etymology.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A prologue, preface: an introductory text placed before a book, by the author or by someone else.^[2][5][1]
2. Something that serves as a prelude or beginning to an action.^[2][5][1]
3. The first part of a work, telling events earlier than those of the main story or reflections on its theme.^[2][5]
4. (theatre) The speech that came before the play in Greek and Latin drama, and also in modern theatre.^[2][5]
5. (sports) The opening stage of a cycling or motor race, usually a time trial.^[15]

Word family

• prologar
• prologuista
• prologal

Related words

• epílogo
• prolegómeno
• lógico

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. prólogo
3. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. prólogo
4. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 3, 688
5. ^ a b c d e Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. prólogo
6. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses
7. ^ a b Wikcionario (Spanish Wiktionary), es.wiktionary.org
8. ^ 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. prólogo
9. ^ a b 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. prólogo
10. ^ a b Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. prólogo
11. ^ Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 5, s.v. prólogo
12. ^ 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, 128
13. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 707
14. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía, p. 816
15. ^ a b Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. prólogo