contrário

Forms

contrário (feminine contrária, masculine plural contrários, feminine plural contrárias)^[1] The medieval and early modern texts also have the popular form contrairo (cõtrayro 1278, contrayro 1340, contrairo 1390).^[2][3][4] Feijó (1734) sets contrário against contrairo.^[5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin contrārius (“opposite, hostile”), from contrā (“against”) with the suffix -ārius.^[2][6][7][1] Nascentes takes it as learned, passing through the form Old Galician-Portuguese contrairo, which was later remade on the Latin.^[8] Houaiss records this popular form from 1278 to 1390, and Machado in 1308.^[2][9]

The same Latin word is Spanish contrario, Old Occitan contrari and French contraire.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's first record is a charter of 1273, sen contrario neun “without any opposition”.^[9] The Cantigas de Santa Maria use it as an adjective, avian o vento contrario “they had the wind against them”, and as a noun, avia muitos contrarios “he had many adversaries”.^[9]

Semantic evolution

The medieval language already has the main senses: “unfavourable” of wind and sea, “the opposite” (dizer o contrario), “adversary, enemy” and “hindrance”, all in the Crónica Troiana.^[9] Estevan da Guarda's satirical songs use contrairo for an obstacle.^[3] Bluteau (1712) adds “harmful”, Morais (1813) the noun “objection” and “opposing party”.^[11][12]

Regionally the noun means a rival in courtship in the Alentejo, the opponent in a cururu singing contest in Brazil, and in the boi-bumbá of Parintins the rival ox.^[13][2]

Timeline

• 1273 – sen contrario neun in a charter.^[9]
• 1278 – the popular form cõtrayro.^[2]
• 13th century – vento contrario in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[9]
• c. 1450 – contrairo in the Livro das tres vertudes (witness after 1450).^[4]
• 1712 – Bluteau's article contrario.^[11]
• 1734 – Feijó weighs contrário and contrairo.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Going the opposite way: ventos contrários.^[2][11][1]
2. Reverse, inside out.^[2]
3. opposite, contrary, differing; contradicting.^[2][14][1]
4. Opposed, hostile: sou contrário a essa ideia.^[2][1]
5. Disinclined to something.^[2]
6. Harmful, prejudicial.^[2][14]
7. Unfavourable, adverse: sorte contrária.^[2][14]
8. (logic) Standing in a relation of contrariety.^[2]

Noun

1. The opposite: Ela diz sempre o contrário..^[2][14]
2. An adversary, enemy; the opponent in a game.^[2][14]
3. (Parintins, Pará) The rival ox in the boi-bumbá.^[2]

Related words

• contrariar
• contrariedade
• contra
• Latin contrārius
• Spanish contrario

Usage notes

Ao contrário means “the wrong way round, inside out” and “on the contrary”;^[2][14][15] pelo contrário “on the contrary”;^[2][14][15] do contrário “otherwise”;^[2][14][15] em contrário “to the contrary”.^[2][14][15]

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 l m n o p q r s t Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. contrário
3. ^ a b 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. contrairo
4. ^ a b Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. contrairo
5. ^ 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. contrário
6. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. contrário
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. contrário
9. ^ 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. contrario
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2190
11. ^ a b c Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. contrário
12. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 1, 463
13. ^ 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. contrário
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. contrário
15. ^ a b c d Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. contrário