sobrehumano

Forms

sobrehumano (feminine sobrehumana, masculine plural sobrehumanos, feminine plural sobrehumanas)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish sobre- + humano.^[1][2] Corominas lists it among the derivatives of humano, which is from Latin hūmānus (“human”).^[3][4] Echegaray compared Catalan sobrehumà and French surhumain.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Diccionario de Autoridades defines it as what exceeds the human and quotes the Quijote: su hermosura sobrehumana “her superhuman beauty”.^[5] Cejador lists the passage, where the text has sobre humana, and a second one from the second part, sobrehumana, ó soberana señora.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The definition has hardly changed since Autoridades.^[5][7] Domínguez noted in 1846 that it was used as an intensifier for something achieved almost beyond the limits of human possibility, with the example of superhuman efforts.^[8] This hyperbolic use, mostly of an effort greater than a person can normally make, is the commonest today.^[9] The phrase esfuerzos sobrehumanos is recorded in Mexico in 1862 and in Uruguay in 1865.^[10]

Timeline

• 1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades records it with a quotation from the Quijote.^[5]
• 1846 – Domínguez notes its hyperbolic use.^[8]
• 1862 – esfuerzos sobrehumanos in Mexico, the first record in the Americas.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. superhuman; beyond what is human, often used of a very great effort: Hizo un esfuerzo sobrehumano para no dormirse.^[7][9]

Related words

• humano
• inhumano
• sobrenatural
• French surhumain

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 354
3. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. humano
4. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 3, 425
5. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 6, 129
6. ^ Cejador y Frauca, Julio (1905–1906), La lengua de Cervantes: gramática y diccionario de la lengua castellana en El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha, 2 vols., Madrid: Jaime Ratés, p. 2, s.v. sobre
7. ^ 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. sobrehumano
8. ^ a b Domínguez, Ramón Joaquín (1846–1847), Diccionario nacional o gran diccionario clásico de la lengua española, 2 vols., Madrid: Establecimiento Léxico-Tipográfico de R. J. Domínguez, p. 2, 1577
9. ^ a b Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. sobrehumano
10. ^ 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. sobrehumano