preferible

Forms

preferible m or f (masculine and feminine plural preferibles)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish preferir + -ible.^[1][2] Corominas lists it among the derivatives of preferir, which is from Latin praeferō (“to carry in front, to prefer”), recorded from 1490, from ferō (“to carry”).^[3][4][5] In 1887 Echegaray compared French préférable and Italian preferibile.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wikcionario dates the first record to 1583, as does the CDH.^[2][7] The CDH's first hit is in the Viaje á la Tercera (1583), the account of the commander of Chaste's expedition to Terceira, where soldiers cry Vamos, vamos á galeras, que preferible es á que nos cuelguen “let's go to the galleys, for that is better than being hanged”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Terreros defined it as what is worth more than another thing and deserves to be put before it, with French préférable as its equivalent.^[8] The Academy's 1843 edition gave “worthy of being preferred or put before”, shortened in 1884 to “worthy of being preferred”, as the DLE still has it.^[9][10][11] Moliner notes the construction with ser and a for what is compared, and that the second term can be left out.^[12]

Timeline

• 1583 – the CDH's first hit, in the Viaje á la Tercera.^[7][2]
• 1584 – Juan Rufo uses it in La Austriada.^[7]
• 1646 – Gracián's El Discreto asks which of two gifts is preferable.^[7]
• 1780 – the first record from the Americas, in Nueva Vizcaya (Mexico).^[13]
• 1786–1793 – Terreros defines it.^[8]
• 1843 – the Academy's dictionary defines it.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. preferable: worthy of being preferred; better or more advisable: Es preferible esperar un día más que viajar con esta tormenta.^[11][12][1]

Adverb

1. preferably.^[1]

Word family

• preferiblemente

Related words

• preferir
• preferencia
• preferente
• Latin praeferō

Usage notes

It is mostly used with ser: ser preferible a something, or followed by a clause with que and the subjunctive.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Wikcionario (Spanish Wiktionary), es.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. preferible
3. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 4, 632
4. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. preferir
5. ^ 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. preferir
6. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 924
7. ^ a b c d e Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. preferible
8. ^ a b 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. 3, 198
9. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1843), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 9th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Francisco María Fernández, p. 583
10. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 858
11. ^ a b 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. preferible
12. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. preferible
13. ^ 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. preferible