capaz

Forms

capaz m or f (plural capazes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin capāx (“able to hold; capable”), first recorded in the 15th century.^[2][3] Houaiss glosses the Latin word as “that can hold, that can grasp or understand”.^[2] Wiktionary calls it inherited.^[1] Corominas holds that Spanish capaz, first recorded at the beginning of the 15th century, was taken from Latin.^[4]

The Latin adjective is formed from capiō (“to take, to hold”) with the suffix -āx.^[5][1] The same word is Galician capaz, Catalan capaç and Italian capace.^[1][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CTA's first text with the word is the Vida de Santo Agostinho, in a witness of 1480–1510.^[7] Houaiss's first sense is the Latin one, “able to hold”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The physical sense “roomy, able to hold” was the first one in Morais's dictionary of 1789, which also has “apt, sufficient in talent and probity” and “fit, decent” (a house fit to receive guests).^[8] Vieira in 1871–1874 calls the spatial sense little used, and gives capaz de with an infinitive, “able to, likely to”.^[9] In the Order of Malta, Bluteau records, a capaz was a knight who had lived five years in Malta and made four caravans, and so could be given a commandery.^[10]

In Brazil, Angola and Mozambique é capaz means “it is likely”, and capaz! became an interjection of disbelief.^[11] In southern Brazil the interjection also answers a thank-you.^[1] Kabuverdianu has kapás.^[1]

Timeline

• 15th century – first record.^[2][3]
• 1480–1510 – in a witness of the Vida de Santo Agostinho.^[7]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau records capaz or capax as a rank of the knights of Malta.^[10]
• 1734 – Feijó gives the plural capazes.^[12]
• 1755 – Folqman glosses it with Latin aptus, idoneus and capax.^[13]
• 1789 – Morais lists the senses “roomy”, “apt” and “decent”.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Able to hold or contain; capacious: um salão capaz de quinhentas pessoas.^[2][11]
2. capable, able: having the qualities needed for a task: É capaz de resolver o problema sozinho.^[2][11][1]
3. Having characteristics that make something possible; liable, susceptible: uma chuva capaz de estragar a colheita.^[2][14]
4. Skilful, apt; competent, serious, honest.^[2][11]
5. Suitable for its purpose; adequate.^[2][11]
6. (law) Having legal capacity (capacidade).^[2][15]

Interjection

1. (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, informal) Expresses disbelief: no way!^[2][11][1]
2. (southern Brazil) Don't mention it, in reply to thanks.^[1]

Related words

• capacidade
• incapaz
• Latin capāx
• Spanish capaz

Usage notes

É capaz “it is likely” is Brazilian, Angolan and Mozambican.^[11] In Portugal ser capaz de is used in polite questions as a request: é capaz de me dizer as horas?^[2]

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 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. capaz
3. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. capaz
4. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. capaz
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. capax
6. ^ Estraviz, Isaac Alonso, Dicionário Estraviz, https://estraviz.org, p. s.v. capaz
7. ^ a b Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. capaz
8. ^ 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, 229
9. ^ 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, 90
10. ^ 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. capaz
11. ^ a b c d e f g Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. capaz
12. ^ Feijó, João de Morais Madureira (1734), Orthographia, ou Arte de escrever, e pronunciar com acerto a lingua portugueza, Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. capaz
13. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. capaz
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. capaz
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. capaz