Etymology and origin of the Portuguese word adoração
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1400s More words from the 15th century
- Borrowed from
- Latin adoratio
- Ultimate origin
- Latin ōrō
Etymology tree
From the same root
Pronunciation
Forms
adoração f (plural adorações)[1] The 15th-century spelling was adoraçom.[2][3][4]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Latin adōrātiō (“worship, adoration”), a learned word.[2][3][4][1] Wiktionary notes that it can also be read as from Portuguese adorar + -ção, and that it displaced the popular Old Galician-Portuguese aoraçon.[1]
The Latin noun is formed from adōrō (“to address, entreat; to worship”), which is ad- and ōrō (“to speak, pray”).[5][6] Vieira explains that the verb first meant to raise the hand to the mouth, from ōs (“mouth”), a gesture of respect.[7] The Latin verb gave the medieval verb Old Galician-Portuguese aorar, beside the learned adorar.[8][9] Spanish adoración has the same Latin source.[10]
Earliest recorded meaning
Machado's first record is from the 15th century, in this passage: paixom e oraçom sollempnes, e adoraçom da cruz “the Passion and solemn prayers, and the adoration of the cross”.[4] Houaiss and Cunha also date it to the 15th century.[2][3]
Semantic evolution
Cardoso (1569) and Barbosa (1611) gloss the word with Latin adoratio and cultus.[11][12] Morais (1789) lists, beside the act of adoring, “the object adored” and profane love, the Good Friday rite of the adoração da cruz, and the election of a pope por adoração, when the cardinals pay homage to one man without a ballot.[13] Vieira (1871–1874) describes the everyday use as an exaggeration for extreme love or devotion.[7] Houaiss and Aurélio record a painting of the Magi or the shepherds adoring the infant Jesus, and an informal sense of a strong liking for something ordinary.[2][14]
Timeline
- 15th century – adoraçom da cruz in a text Machado cites.[4][3]
- 1569 – Cardoso enters adoração.[11]
- 1789 – Morais records adoração da cruz and the election of a pope por adoração.[13]
Meanings
Noun
- (religion) worship paid to a being regarded as divine.[2][14][1]
- (Catholicism) The worship given to the persons of the Trinity, and to the cross and the instruments of the Passion.[2][15]
- (art) A painting or image of the Magi, or the shepherds, adoring the newborn Jesus; usually capitalised.[2][14]
- Excessive love or veneration for someone or something; idolatria.[2][14]
- The person or thing so loved: o neto era a sua adoração.[2][16]
- (informal) A strong liking for something ordinary.[2][17]
Related words
Usage notes
Adoração da cruz is the Good Friday rite in which the faithful kneel before the cross.[2][17]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. adoração
- ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. adorar
- ^ a b c d Machado, José Pedro (1987), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., 5 vols., Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, p. s.v. adoração
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. adoratio
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. adoro
- ^ a b Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 1, 167
- ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Dicionario de dicionarios do galego medieval (DDGM), ed. Ernesto González Seoane, Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/ddgm, p. s.v. aorar
- ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. adorar
- ^ 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. adoración
- ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. adoração
- ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. adoração
- ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1789), Diccionario da lingua portugueza composto pelo padre D. Rafael Bluteau, reformado, e accrescentado, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 1, 29
- ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. adoração
- ^ Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. adoração
- ^ Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. adoração
- ^ a b Aulete, Francisco Júlio Caldas, Dicionário contemporâneo da língua portuguesa (1st ed. 1881), online as Aulete Digital, Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, https://aulete.com.br, p. s.v. adoração
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Adoração.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/pt/adora%C3%A7%C3%A3o. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.
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