Etymologically

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
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ōs
Latin ōrō
Aromanian or
Portuguese orar
Spanish orar
Latin adōrō
French adorer
Romanian adora
Italian adorare
Portuguese adorar
Spanish adorar
Latin adōrātiō
English adoration
Portuguese adoração
Spanish adoración
From the same root
Latin cōram ← ōs
Latin ōrālis ← ōs
Latin ōrārium ← ōs
Latin ōscillum ← ōs
Latin oscitō ← ōs
Latin ōsculum ← ōs
Latin ōstium ← ōs
Latin exōrō ← ōrō
Latin ōrāculum ← ōrō
Latin ōrātiō ← ōrō
Latin ōrātor ← ōrō
Latin peroro ← ōrō
Latin adōrābilis ← adōrō
Romanian adorabil ← adōrō
French adorable ← adorer
Italian adorabile ← adorare

Pronunciation

  • Brazil: /a.do.ɾaˈsɐ̃w̃/, [a.do.ɾaˈsɐ̃ʊ̯̃][1]
  • Portugal: /ɐ.du.ɾɐˈsɐ̃w̃/, [ɐ.ðu.ɾɐˈsɐ̃w̃][1]
  • Portugal, Southern: /ɐ.du.ɾɐˈsɐ̃w̃/[1]

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

  1. (religion) worship paid to a being regarded as divine.[2][14][1]
  2. (Catholicism) The worship given to the persons of the Trinity, and to the cross and the instruments of the Passion.[2][15]
  3. (art) A painting or image of the Magi, or the shepherds, adoring the newborn Jesus; usually capitalised.[2][14]
  4. Excessive love or veneration for someone or something; idolatria.[2][14]
  5. The person or thing so loved: o neto era a sua adoração.[2][16]
  6. (informal) A strong liking for something ordinary.[2][17]

Usage notes

Adoração da cruz is the Good Friday rite in which the faithful kneel before the cross.[2][17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. adorar
  4. ^ a b c d Machado, José Pedro (1987), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., 5 vols., Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, p. s.v. adoração
  5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. adoratio
  6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. adoro
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. adorar
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. adoração
  12. ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. adoração
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. adoração
  15. ^ 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
  16. ^ 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
  17. ^ 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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