convidar

Forms

convidar (first-person singular present convido, first-person singular preterite convidei, past participle convidado)^[1] Fifteenth-century texts also spell it comuidar, comviidar and comvindar.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *convītō (“to invite”), written Old Galician-Portuguese convidar in the oldest texts.^[2][1] Houaiss explains the Vulgar Latin verb as Latin invītō (“to invite, to ask to a meal”) with its prefix in- changed to con-, probably under the influence of convīvium (“banquet”).^[2] Cunha and the REW also see a blend of the two Latin words.^[3][4] The verb is recorded in Medieval Latin with the sense “to invite”.^[5][6]

The same word is Italian convitare, French convier, Old Occitan covidar, Catalan convidar and Spanish convidar.^[4] Meyer-Lübke held that the Spanish and Portuguese verbs came from Catalan, a view Nascentes reports.^[4][7] The Latin verb itself survived as envidar, which means “to bid, to stake” in a game, as do the corresponding verbs of Galician, Spanish and Catalan.^[8][9] The noun convite was borrowed from Catalan convit.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a cantiga d'escarnho Afonso Eanes do Coton tells of someone who one day went to invite two knights to his dinner: un dia convidar / dous cavaleiros pera seu jantar.^[10] The Cantigas de Santa Maria have foron convidados / todos del Rey que comessen con el, “all were invited by the King to eat with him”.^[10] The first sense is to ask someone to a meal.^[10][11]

Semantic evolution

Nascentes quotes the proverb quem convida dá banquete “whoever invites gives the banquet” and notes that the meaning widened, since one can now invite without a meal.^[11] Pereira's dictionary of 1697 still glosses it with Latin “to call to supper”.^[12] Folqman in 1755 uses it of fine weather that “invites” a walk.^[13] Morais in 1789 lists asking someone to dinner, to a function or to be a godparent; attracting with rewards; provoking; giving something in return for a service; and, ironically, giving someone a beating.^[14]

In Portuguese dialects the verb can mean to give someone a present or a tip, and the DLP labels “to pay, reward” regional.^[15][16] In Rio Grande do Sul, riders in a horse race convidam-se when they agree on the moment to start.^[2][17]

Timeline

• 13th century – the cantigas d'escarnho and the Cantigas de Santa Maria use convidar.^[10][3]
• 14th century – first records of convidado and convite.^[3]
• 15th century – the spellings comuidar, comviidar and comvindar.^[2]
• 1697 – Pereira glosses it with Latin “to invite to supper”.^[12]
• 1755 – Folqman has “this day invites us to take a walk”.^[13]
• 1789 – Morais lists the senses “attract”, “provoke” and “reward”.^[14]
• 1881 – first record of convidativo.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To invite: to ask someone to come or to take part in something: Convidou os vizinhos para o almoço.^[2][18][1]
2. To ask or request; to order politely: O porteiro convidou-os a sair.^[2][17]
3. To arouse the wish for something; to attract, to predispose: A tarde fresca convida a um passeio.^[2][19]
4. To incite or provoke.^[2][17]
5. To propose or suggest something to someone.^[2][19]
6. (reflexive) To invite oneself: to turn up without being asked.^[2][19]
7. (reflexive) To invite one another.^[2]
8. (Portugal, regional) To give someone a present or a tip; to reward.^[15][16]
9. (Rio Grande do Sul, reflexive) Of riders in a horse race, to agree on the start.^[2][17]

Word family

• convidado
• convidante
• convidativo
• convite

Related words

• envidar
• Latin invītō
• Spanish convidar

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. convidar
3. ^ a b c d e Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. convidar
4. ^ a b c d Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2200
5. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. convitare
6. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre, p. s.v. convitare
7. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 134
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 4535
9. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. invitare
10. ^ a b c d 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. convidar
11. ^ a b Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. convidar
12. ^ a b Pereira, Bento (1697), Thesouro da lingoa portuguesa, in the 1697 edition of his Prosodia (1st ed. 1647; CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. convidar
13. ^ a b Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. convidar
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, 326
15. ^ a b 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. convidar
16. ^ a b 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. convidar
17. ^ a b c d 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. convidar
18. ^ Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. convidar
19. ^ a b c 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. convidar