veloz

Forms

veloz m or f (masculine and feminine plural veloces, superlative velocísimo)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vēlōx (“swift, speedy”), a learned word.^[2][3][4][1] The early texts also have the fuller form veloce, in Juan de Mena and Santillana and beside the short form in Palencia's vocabulary of 1490.^[2]

De Vaan suggests that the Latin adjective meant “wind-like”, from a noun for “wind” of the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), which also gave ventus.^[5] Wiktionary gives the same derivation.^[1] An older view derived it from *weǵʰ- (“to carry”), the root of vehō.^[1] Gómez de Silva and Bénaben connect it instead with *weg- (“to be lively, vigorous”).^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first reliable record in the CDH is Enrique de Villena's Exposición del Salmo Quoniam videbo (1424), with su veloçe movimiento “its swift movement”.^[8] Francisco Imperial, in poems from before 1409 known from a copy of about 1465, has A tan veloç curso vienes “you come at so swift a pace”.^[8] Corominas's first records are in Juan de Mena and Santillana.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed literary: it is not in Nebrija or Covarrubias, and C. de las Casas translated Italian veloce only by ligero.^[2] Góngora, Jáuregui and other 17th-century poets used it, and Autoridades defines it both as fast in movement and as quick in what one does or thinks.^[2][9] Corominas notes that the noun velocidad, already in the Quijote, has become a word of general use, while the adjective remains literary, though common.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1409 – Francisco Imperial writes veloç (in a copy of about 1465).^[8]
• 1424 – Enrique de Villena writes veloçe.^[8]
• c. 1430–1440 – Corominas's first records, in Mena and Santillana; the Breve diccionario dates the word about 1440.^[2][3][10]
• 1490 – Palencia uses both veloz and veloce, and velocidad.^[2][3]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology from Latin velox.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. fast, swift in movement: Un tren veloz cruzó la llanura.^[4][12][1]
2. Quick and agile in acting or thinking.^[4][13]

Word family

• velocidad
• velocípedo

Related words

• rápido
• Latin velox

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 761
3. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. veloz
4. ^ a b c 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. veloz
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. veloz
7. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. veloz
8. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. veloz
9. ^ Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 6, 438
10. ^ 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. veloz
11. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 1076
12. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. veloz
13. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. veloz