alguém

Forms

alguém^[1] Houaiss records algen (1269), algem (1284), alge and alguen (13th century) and alguem (14th century).^[2]

Etymology

Its origin is disputed.^[2] According to Houaiss, Cunha and Machado it is inherited from Latin aliquem (“someone”), the accusative of the Latin pronoun, written Old Galician-Portuguese alguen in the oldest texts.^[2][3][4] Machado quotes Leite de Vasconcelos: the stress fell on the e as in quem, because the word was in fact remade as ⟨ali-quem⟩.^[4]

Nascentes instead points out that the indefinite pronoun for a person was at first algum, and that the present word appears later; he takes it to be that pronoun remade under the influence of the relative, since the Latin accusative would have given *algue.^[5] Aurélio agrees, and Wiktionary calls it a blend of algũ and quen.^[6][1] Corominas argues the same for Spanish alguien, which he finds in Castile only from the 15th century, and says that Portuguese made the same innovation.^[7] Galician alguén is the Galician form.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the word to 1255.^[2] Machado quotes a text of 1284: e se alguém o passar nõ auendo este outorgamento ende “and if anyone should pass it without having this permission”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Cunha records both senses from the 13th century: “some person” and “an important person”.^[3] Gil Vicente plays on the second, and Vieira lists the phrase ter-se na conta de alguém “to think oneself important”.^[8] Bluteau renders the pronoun with Latin aliquis and quidam.^[9] As a noun, um alguém is a person, any human being.^[2][6]

Timeline

• 1255 – Houaiss's first date.^[2]
• 1269 – the spelling algen.^[2]
• 1284 – alguém in a text quoted by Machado.^[4] Houaiss has the spelling algem that year.^[4][2]
• 14th century – the spelling alguem.^[2]
• 1556 – a private letter writes alguẽ.^[10]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau's Vocabulario has the word.^[9]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. someone, somebody, a person not named or not known: Alguém deixou a porta aberta.^[2][6][1]
2. A person of importance or standing: Quer ser alguém na vida.^[2][11]

Noun

1. A person, a human being.^[2][6][1]

Related words

• algum
• algo
• quem
• ninguém
• Spanish alguien
• Galician alguén

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. alguém
3. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. alguém
4. ^ a b c d e Machado, José Pedro (1987), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., 5 vols., Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, p. s.v. alguém
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. alguém
6. ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. alguém
7. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 1, 163
8. ^ 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, 303
9. ^ a b Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. alguém
10. ^ CLUL (ed.) (2014), P.S. Post Scriptum: Arquivo Digital de Escrita Quotidiana em Portugal e Espanha na Época Moderna, Lisboa: Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, http://ps.clul.ul.pt, p. s.v. alguém
11. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. alguém