atrás

Forms

atrás^[1] Houaiss records the spellings atraz and atraas in the 15th century.^[2] Atraz was still the head form in Vieira's dictionary of 1871–1874, and Silva Bastos in 1912 notes that some still preferred it to atrás.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *ad trans (“to the far side”), written Old Galician-Portuguese atras in the oldest texts.^[5][6][7][1] Houaiss, Machado and Aurélio describe it instead as the preposition a joined to the adverb trás, which is itself the Latin word.^[2][8][9]

The same Latin phrase gave Galician atrás, Spanish atrás and Old Occitan atras.^[6][10] Its parts are Latin ad (“to, towards”) and trāns (“across, beyond”).^[11][12] De Vaan explains the second as an old present participle, Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂-n̥ts “crossing”, related to Sanskrit and Hittite verbs meaning “to pass, overcome, prevail”.^[12] Wiktionary links it with the English word through.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cantigas de Santa Maria already use the word for the back of the body and for going back: the attackers tornaron todos atrás “all turned back”, and a man's hands are tied atrás “behind his back”.^[13] In a cantiga d'escarnho of Airas Perez Vuitoron it means “backwards”.^[13] Houaiss dates the adverb to the 13th century.^[2] Machado's first record is a 14th-century Latin–Portuguese glossary, where it helps to render Latin traduco.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Besides “behind”, the adverb has long meant “after, following” and, of time, “earlier, ago”, as in dias atrás.^[2][9] Caldas Aulete's old dictionary lists phrases such as voltar atrás “to go back on one's word”, ficar atrás “to do worse than another” and estar de pé atrás com alguém “to be on one's guard against someone”.^[14] The phrase atrás de has added the senses “in pursuit of”, “in search of” and “courting”.^[2][7] In Portuguese dialects it can mean “a short while ago” and “next, afterwards”.^[15]

Timeline

• 1200s – first record of the adverb, as Houaiss dates it; the Cantigas de Santa Maria write atrás.^[2][13]
• 1300s – a Latin–Portuguese glossary has it, Machado's first record.^[8]
• 1400s – the spellings atraz and atraas.^[2]
• 1611 – the derivative atrasado is recorded.^[16]
• 1871 – Vieira refers atrás to the head form atraz.^[3]
• 1912 – Silva Bastos calls atrás the spelling generally followed.^[4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. behind, at the back; on the side opposite the front: A blusa abotoa atrás.^[2][9][1]
2. After, following: O pai ia à frente e os filhos vinham atrás.^[2][9]
3. Earlier, before, in an earlier part of a text: como ficou dito atrás.^[2][7]
4. (after a period of time) ago: Mudou-se para cá três anos atrás.^[2][9][1]
5. (atrás de) Behind; after; in pursuit of; in search of; ranking below: Andam todos atrás do mesmo emprego.^[2][9][1]

Word family

• atrasar

Related words

• trás
• detrás
• Latin trāns
• Spanish atrás

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. atrás
3. ^ 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, 645
4. ^ a b Silva Bastos, José Timóteo da (1912), Diccionario etymologico, prosodico e orthographico da lingua portugueza, Lisboa: Parceria António Maria Pereira, p. s.v. atrás
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 52
6. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. ad trans
7. ^ a b c 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. atrás
8. ^ a b c Machado, José Pedro (1987), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., 5 vols., Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, p. s.v. atrás
9. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. atrás
10. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. tras
11. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ad
12. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. trāns
13. ^ a b c 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. atrás
14. ^ 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. atrás
15. ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (TLPGP), Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/tesouro, p. s.v. atrás
16. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. atrasar