ciência

Forms

ciência f (plural ciências)^[1] Houaiss records the old forms sciençia (1394), sciãçia (14th century), çiemça (1454), çieçia (1484), çiemtia and esciençia (15th century).^[2] Until the spelling reforms (1911 in Portugal, 1943 in Brazil) the word was written sciencia.^[3] Feijó in 1734 marks Sciencia as the form in use, and Vieira in 1871 still sends the reader from ciência to sciencia.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin scientia (“knowledge”), a learned word.^[2][6][1][7] The Latin noun is formed from sciēns (“knowing”), the present participle of sciō (“to know”), with the abstract suffix -ia.^[1][8] De Vaan derives the verb from Proto-Indo-European *skh₁-i- (“to incise”), and the DHLF also suggests that it first meant “to cut”, then “to decide”.^[9][8]

Other languages took the same Latin word: Spanish ciencia, recorded from Berceo, and French science, from 1080.^[10][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's chronology cites the Chronicle of 1344 with as artes e sciencias e os outros saberes “the arts and sciences and the other kinds of learning”, and a royal document of 1370 with the formula de nosa ciencia certa “of our certain knowledge”.^[11] Houaiss takes 1370 as the first date.^[2] Cunha dates the spelling sci- to the 14th century and gives the old sense as “knowledge, learning, information”.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The medieval word meant knowledge in general, and in charters a ruler's knowledge of what he decreed, as in de nosa ciencia e poder assoluto “of our knowledge and absolute power”.^[11] Bluteau in 1712 defines it in the philosophical sense as certain and evident knowledge through causes, and notes that the ancients counted only three sciences, logic, physics and moral philosophy.^[12] Folqman in 1755 separates certain knowledge from learning or erudition.^[13] Today it chiefly means a systematic body of knowledge gained by observation and research, and each of its branches.^[2][14]

Timeline

• 1344 – sciencias in the Chronicle of 1344.^[11]
• 1370 – de nosa ciencia certa in a royal document.^[11][2]
• 1394 – the spelling sciençia.^[2]
• c. 1430 – sciencia in the Horto do Esposo (copied 1390–1437).^[15]
• 1454 – the spelling çiemça.^[2][11]
• 1588 – çiẽçia in a private letter.^[16]
• 1712 – Bluteau's article sciencia on certain knowledge through causes.^[12]
• 1734 – Feijó marks Sciencia as the usual spelling.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. knowledge or awareness of something: tomar ciência “to take note, be informed”.^[2][14][1]
2. learning, erudition: um homem de muita ciência.^[2][17]
3. science, a systematic body of knowledge gained through observation, research and explanation.^[2][7][1]
4. A branch of such knowledge, or the study of it: as ciências naturais.^[2][17][1]
5. Skill or know-how in a field of activity.^[2]
6. (philosophy) Rigorous, systematic knowledge, as opposed to opinion.^[2]
7. (Portugal) Knowledge crammed in haste for an examination or lesson.^[7]

Related words

• ciente
• científico
• cientista
• consciência
• insciência
• Spanish ciencia

Usage notes

Ciência infusa is knowledge one has naturally, without study.^[17] Tomar ciência de means to be informed of something.^[14]

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 m Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. ciência
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. sciencia
4. ^ a b 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. sciencia
5. ^ 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, 229
6. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. ciência
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. ciência
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. science
9. ^ 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. sciō
10. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 66
11. ^ a b c d e 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. sciencia
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. sciencia
13. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. sciencia
14. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. ciência
15. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. sciencia
16. ^ 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. ciência
17. ^ a b c Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. ciência