assistente

Forms

assistente m or f by sense (plural assistentes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin assistēns (“standing by, present”), the present participle of assistō (“to stand by, be present, assist in court”).^[2][3][4][1] Nascentes takes it from the Latin spelling adsistēns by a semi-learned route.^[5] Machado derives it instead from the Portuguese verb assistir, and thinks French assistance influenced some of its senses.^[6]

The Latin verb is formed from ad- (“to, at”) and sistō (“to stand, be placed”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Machado's first record is from 1449, in a text that names a Lugar-tenente, a Vix-Rei, a Governador or an Assistente who might be set over the kingdom.^[6] Cunha dates the word to the 15th century, and Houaiss to 1541.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

The first dictionaries treat it as a legal term: Bluteau (1712–1728) defines the assistente as one who takes part in a lawsuit, with or without a power of attorney.^[8] Morais (1789) gives “resident, dweller”, “the attorney in a case”, and the medico assistente who treats a patient regularly.^[9] Morais (1813) adds the angels assistentes do trono de Deus and the assisting prelates at a bishop's consecration.^[10] Vieira (1871–1874) quotes a sermon on os Serafins assistentes do throno de Deos.^[11]

In modern Portuguese the main sense is a helper in someone's work, as in professor assistente and médico assistente.^[2][3] Brazil has assistente social “social worker”, and the word can mean a midwife or a football linesman there.^[12][13]

Timeline

• 1449 – Machado's first record, beside Governador.^[6]
• 15th century – Cunha's century for the first record.^[7]
• 1541 – Houaiss's first date.^[2]
• 1642 – asistentes in a private letter, and assistente in one of 1673.^[14]
• 1697 – Pereira translates it by Latin assistens.^[15]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau treats it as a legal term.^[8]
• 1789 – Morais records medico assistente.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Who assists or gives assistance (assistência): a médica assistente.^[2][12]
2. Present, attending (an event).^[2][3]
3. Who helps someone in their duties, assistant: uma enfermeira assistente.^[2][3]

Noun

1. An aide, a helper in someone's work.^[2][1]
2. A person present at an act, ceremony or show, a spectator; in the plural, the audience.^[2][12]
3. A person who cares for a sick or dying person.^[12]
4. (higher education) A lecturer who assists a full professor; short for professor assistente.^[2][13]
5. (navy) An officer serving as private secretary to a flag officer.^[2]
6. (law) A party who joins a case to support one side or the public prosecutor.^[16][17]
7. (Brazil, football) A linesman.^[12]
8. (Brazil) A midwife.^[13]
9. (dated) A resident, dweller.^[12][9]

Related words

• assistir
• assistência

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. assistente
3. ^ a b c d 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. assistente
4. ^ Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. 142
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. assistente
6. ^ a b c Machado, José Pedro (1987), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., 5 vols., Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, p. s.v. assistente
7. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. assistir
8. ^ 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. assistente
9. ^ a b c 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, 132
10. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 1, 212
11. ^ 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, 618
12. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. assistente
13. ^ a b c Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. assistente
14. ^ 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. assistente
15. ^ Pereira, Bento (1697), Thesouro da lingoa portuguesa, in the 1697 edition of his Prosodia (1st ed. 1647; CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. assistente
16. ^ Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 1019
17. ^ 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. assistente