protagonista

Forms

protagonista m or f by sense (plural protagonistas)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, “actor of the first part, chief actor”).^[2][3][4] The Greek noun is formed from πρωτο- (prōto-, “first”) and ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “competitor; actor”).^[1][5] The second part is a derivative of ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “to contend, compete”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”).^[5][6] Bénaben gives the literal sense as “one who fights in the front rank”.^[6]

In Greek it was a word of the stage, the actor who played the first part, used figuratively by Aristotle and generally for a leader.^[7] Echegaray already compared Italian protagonista, Catalan protagonista and French protagoniste.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's earliest reliable hit is in Bances Candamo's Por su rey y por su dama (c. 1687), on a comedy whose every act is a feat del protagonista “of the protagonist”.^[9] Its two earlier hits, under the Poema de Alfonso Onceno and Saint John of the Cross, come from modern headings and prose printed with those texts, not from the old texts themselves.^[9]

Semantic evolution

In 1767 the word could name the leading figure in a field: a letter calls the anatomist Ruysch a célebre protagonista holandés “celebrated Dutch protagonist”.^[9] Salvá and the Academy's 1869 edition defined it as the principal character of any dramatic fable,^[10][11] and Echegaray added the extended, often mocking use for the one who plays the first part in some noisy adventure.^[8] The 1884 edition gave the Greek etymology and widened the definition to the principal character of any poem that represents an action.^[12]

Today the Academy lists the main character of a play, a literary work or a film, then any person or thing that plays the main part in an event, and an adjectival use.^[2] The derivative protagonismo is a fairly recent coinage, used for example of the role of the State.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1687 – Bances Candamo uses the word of the hero of a comedy.^[9]
• 1767 – a letter calls the anatomist Ruysch a célebre protagonista.^[9]
• 1786 – Montengón's Eusebio speaks of historians and their protagonistas.^[9]
• 1846 – Salvá defines it as the principal character of a dramatic fable.^[10]
• 1865 – first record from the Americas, in Nicaragua: el protagonista de un drama.^[13]
• 1869 – the Academy's dictionary includes it.^[11]
• 1884 – the Academy gives its Greek etymology.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. The protagonist: the main character of a play, novel or film: La protagonista de la película es una médica rural.^[2][3][1]
2. A person or thing that plays the leading part in any event: El viento fue el protagonista de la regata.^[2][3][14]

Adjective

1. Of or relating to the protagonist.^[2]

Word family

• protagonismo

Related words

• agonía
• Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. protagonista
3. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. protagonista
4. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. protagonista
5. ^ a b Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México
6. ^ a b c Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses
7. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. πρωταγωνιστής
8. ^ a b Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 982
9. ^ 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. protagonista
10. ^ a b Salvá, Vicente (1846), Nuevo diccionario de la lengua castellana, París: Librería de Don Vicente Salvá, p. 889
11. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra, p. 638
12. ^ 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. 873
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. protagonista
14. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. protagonista