vehemente

Forms

vehemente m or f (masculine and feminine plural vehementes)^[1] A form beemente occurs around 1500.^[2] Wiktionary gives the pronunciation /beeˈmente/, with two vowels in hiatus.^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vehemens (“impetuous, violent”), a learned word.^[3][1][4] The same Latin word gave French véhément, Italian veemente, Portuguese veemente and Catalan vehement.^[5][6][7]

The origin of the Latin adjective is disputed.^[1] Corominas derives it from mēns (“mind”) with a privative prefix vē-, so that it first meant “impulsive, rash”.^[4] The DHLF gives the same explanation, and adds that the word was associated by folk etymology with vehō (“to carry”), since violence implies movement.^[8] The OLD instead explains it as an old participle of the same verb, comparing a Sanskrit participle.^[9] Gómez de Silva also leaves open a link with that verb, which he connects with vehículo.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corominas dates it from 1542.^[4][5] The CDH has it in a letter of King Ferdinand of 1484 about vehementes sospechas “strong suspicions” of trouble on the frontier.^[2] The diary of Columbus's first voyage (1492–1493) speaks of an olor vehemente of musk, and the account of his third voyage (1498) of a heat so vehemente that he feared the ships would catch fire.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Autoridades in 1739 gives three senses: moving or acting with great force, vividly persuasive, and of feelings, strong and violent.^[11] It also records the legal phrase indicios or sospechas vehementes, evidence strong enough to count as half proof of guilt;^[11][12] Cervantes has la vehemente sospecha.^[11][12] The Academy's 1899 edition added the use for people who feel or express things with force.^[13] The DLE now adds a sense for a person who acts rashly, carried away by impulse.^[3][14]

Timeline

• 1484 – first record in the CDH, a letter of King Ferdinand.^[2]
• 1498 – the account of Columbus's third voyage.^[2]
• 1542 – Corominas's date of first record.^[4]
• 1594 – first record from the Americas, in Mexico City.^[15]
• 1739 – Autoridades gives three senses and the legal phrase.^[11]
• 1899 – the Academy adds the sense used of people.^[13]

Meanings

Adjective

1. vehement, impetuous: having great force: Pronunció una protesta vehemente.^[3][1]
2. ardent and full of passion: un amor vehemente.^[3][14]
3. Of a person, acting rashly, carried away by impulses.^[3][14]

Word family

• vehementemente

Related words

• vehemencia
• mente
• demente
• Latin vehemens

Usage notes

In legal language indicios vehementes and sospechas vehementes are strong grounds for suspicion.^[3][11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. vehemente
3. ^ 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. vehemente
4. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. mente
5. ^ a b Segura Munguía, Santiago (2001), Nuevo diccionario etimológico latín-español y de las voces derivadas, Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, p. 823
6. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. veemente
7. ^ Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. vehement
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. véhément
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. vehemente
11. ^ a b c d e Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 6, 431
12. ^ a b 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. s.v. vehemente
13. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía, p. 1006
14. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. vehemente
15. ^ 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. vehemente