capa

Forms

capa f (plural capas)^[1] Old Galician-Portuguese already wrote capa, as the cantigas and the Crónica Troiana show.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin cappa (“hood; hooded cloak”), written Old Galician-Portuguese capa in the oldest texts.^[3][4][1][5] Houaiss glosses the Late Latin noun as a covering for the head and a kind of hooded coat.^[3]

The same Late Latin word is Galician capa, Spanish capa, Catalan capa, Occitan capa, Old French chape and Italian cappa.^[5][1][6]

Corominas notes that the Latin word first appears at the end of the 6th century and in the 7th, in Gregory of Tours and Isidore of Seville, for a hood or other covering of the head, whence a cape with a hood and then any cape.^[7] Its origin is unknown: a link with capanna (“hut”) would point to Celtic, but no Celtic source has been found.^[7][8] Wiktionary calls the origin disputed and names as the leading theory a shortening of capitulāre, from caput (“head”).^[1] Isidore himself explained the name by the cape “taking in” almost the whole man, as if from capiō (“to take”);^[9][10] Vieira (1871) repeats this and cites Diez for a Vulgar Latin word, and Figueiredo (1899) still derives it from the Latin verb.^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Latin charters of 952 and 959 already have the word, as capam de sirgo “a silk cape” and capa deaurata “a gilded cape”, listed among church vestments.^[2] In Galician-Portuguese it is recorded from the 13th century.^[3][4] The cantigas use it for the cloak itself, as in Airas Perez Vuitoron's capa augadeira “a rain cape”, and in phrases: meter sô sa capa “to put under one's cape”, that is, to hide or steal, and fazer capa “to make a cloak” of someone, to use them as a cover.^[2][11]

Semantic evolution

In the cantigas d'amigo fazer capa of a woman meant to pretend to court her while really courting another.^[2] Bluteau (1712) describes the cape as the garment worn over the others outside the house, an ornament in summer and a protection in winter, and names the capa agoadeira of leather, esparto or rush that sheds the rain.^[12] Folqman (1755) already uses the word for the cover of a letter, a book or a bundle, and in a figurative sense “appearance, pretext”.^[13] Morais (1789) records homem de capa e espada for a layman holding civil office, and the nautical estar o navio à capa, of a ship that keeps its place against the wind.^[14]

Most modern senses extend the idea of covering: the cover of a book, a coat of paint, a layer of rock, the outer leaf of a cigar.^[3][15] The bullfighter's cape and the black gown of the students of Coimbra are particular capes.^[3][16] Brazilian Portuguese formed capeta “devil”, recorded in 1899 and named from the little cape the devil was painted wearing.^[4][17] The Portuguese word passed into Japanese as 合羽 (kappa) and into Tetum as kapa.^[1]

Timeline

• 952 – capam de sirgo “a silk cape” in a Latin charter.^[2]
• 959 – capa deaurata and capas among vestments in a Latin charter of the Portugaliae Monumenta Historica.^[2]
• 13th century – first records in Galician-Portuguese.^[3][4]
• c. 1430 – the Horto do Esposo (copied 1390–1437) uses the word.^[18]
• 1537–1583 – Houaiss dates à socapa “furtively, under the cape” to this span.^[19]
• 1569 – Cardoso glosses Capa with Latin toga and pallium.^[20]
• 1611 – Barbosa lists capa comprida “long cape” and the diminutive capinha.^[21]
• 1712 – Bluteau describes the capa agoadeira rain cape.^[12]
• 1755 – Folqman gives the senses “cover of a letter or book” and “pretext”.^[13]
• 1789 – Morais records homem de capa e espada and estar o navio à capa.^[14]
• 1842 – first record of encapar “to put a cover on”.^[22]
• 1899 – capeta “devil” is first recorded, in Figueiredo's dictionary.^[4][17]

Meanings

Noun

1. A cape or cloak: a loose sleeveless garment, usually long, worn over the other clothes: Pôs a capa antes de sair à chuva.^[3][15][1]
2. Anything that wraps or covers something to protect it; a covering for a sofa, a notebook or a phone.^[3][15][23]
3. (bookbinding) The cover of a book or magazine; the front cover or front page of a publication.^[3][1][24]
4. A coat of paint, bitumen or a similar substance laid over a surface.^[3][23]
5. (figurative) A false appearance or pretext that hides something: uma capa de bondade.^[3][15][1]
6. (figurative) Shelter, protection.^[15][10]
7. (bullfighting) The bullfighter's cape, of strong cloth, used to draw the bull; capote.^[3][15]
8. (Bahia) The outer leaf, the wrapper, of a cigar.^[3][25]
9. (nautical) The manoeuvre of lying to in bad weather, with as few sails as possible set.^[3]
10. (geology) A layer of rock lying over another; the roof of a mine gallery.^[3][1]
11. The long black gown of court officials and of the students of some universities, especially Coimbra.^[16][24]
12. (colloquial) A condom.^[1]

Word family

• capear
• capeta
• capinha
• contracapa
• encapar
• socapa

Related words

• capela
• capelo
• escapar
• Late Latin cappa
• Galician capa

Usage notes

Set phrases include capa de chuva “raincoat”, capa dura “hardback” and de capa e espada “cloak-and-sword”, of adventure stories.^[3][16] Folqman (1755) gives the proverb debaixo de huma ruim capa jaz hum bom bebedor “under a poor cloak lies a good drinker”, with the Latin saying that wisdom is often found under a shabby cloak.^[13]

Houaiss and Aurélio also have a masculine capa, the name of the Greek letter kappa, from Greek through Latin; in Portugal it is also the name of the letter K.^{[3][15][16][1]} A separate feminine capa “castration” is a back-formation from capar “to castrate”, used in Rio Grande do Sul.^[3][16][26]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. capa
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. capa
4. ^ a b c d e Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. capa
5. ^ a b Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. s.v. capa
6. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. cappa
7. ^ a b Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 1, 827
8. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. capa
9. ^ 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. 2, 88
10. ^ a b c Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. s.v. capa
11. ^ Universo Cantigas: Glosario da poesía medieval profana galego-portuguesa, A Coruña: Instituto da Lingua e Literatura (ILLA), Universidade da Coruña, https://www.universocantigas.gal, p. s.v. capa
12. ^ 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. capa
13. ^ a b c Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. capa
14. ^ 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, 228
15. ^ a b c d e f g Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. capa
16. ^ a b c d e 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. capa
17. ^ a b Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. capeta
18. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. capa
19. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. socapa
20. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. capa
21. ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. capa
22. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. encapar
23. ^ a b 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. capa
24. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. capa
25. ^ Navarro, Fred (2004), Dicionário do Nordeste, São Paulo: Estação Liberdade, p. s.v. capa
26. ^ Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. capa