desafiar

Forms

desafiar (first-person singular present desafio, first-person singular preterite desafiei, past participle desafiado)^[1] The 13th century has both desafiar and desfiar; a Latin law of 1188–1230 already has desafidiet.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Old Galician-Portuguese des- + afiar (“to pledge faith, trust”), from the Old Portuguese verb Old Galician-Portuguese afiar “to guarantee, keep faith with someone”, itself from a- and fiar (“to trust”).^[2][4][5][1] Wiktionary takes the old verb from Vulgar Latin *afidō (“to trust”).^[1] Cunha and Aurélio derive it from a first-conjugation form of Latin fīdō (“to trust”), and the DLP and Nascentes connect it with fidēs (“faith”).^[4][5][6][7] Nascentes adds that the old verb for “to trust” disappeared because it clashed with afiar “to sharpen”, and that the compound first meant “to withdraw one's trust” and then “to call to combat”.^[8][7]

The same formation on the Latin verb is Spanish desafiar, Occitan desfizar, French défier and Italian sfidare.^[9][7] Wiktionary compares the English word defy.^[1]

Bluteau (1713), following the seventh of the Spanish Partidas, explains that to challenge was to withdraw from the faith and friendship two noblemen had promised each other, which is why challenging belonged properly to the nobility.^[10][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's chronology finds desafidiet in a Latin law of 1188–1230 and desfiar in a Latin law of 1194 (sed quando eum desfiar, statim det sibi treugam “but when he defies him, let him at once grant him a truce”).^[3][2] In Galician-Portuguese the Cantigas de Santa Maria have foi logo desafiado / dos parentes dela todos “he was at once challenged by all her kinsmen”, and a cantiga d'escarnho e mandou-me desafiar “and he sent to challenge me”.^[3] The Crónica Troiana uses it both for challenging and for giving formal warning of enmity.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The medieval sense is the formal challenge to combat or war between nobles or kingdoms.^[3] Morais (1813) quotes heralds sent to declare war de Reino a Reino “from kingdom to kingdom”.^[3][11] Already in the dictionaries of 1789 and 1813 it has the figurative senses “to show no fear of”, “to brave” (desafiar os perigos) and “to provoke, arouse” desire or curiosity.^[12][11] Later dictionaries add “to invite” someone to a drink or a meal and “to tempt”.^[13][5]

Today it also means to dare someone to do something difficult, to defy an authority openly and to put to the test; in Brazil it is used of challenging a singer to a desafio, a sung poetic contest.^[2][14] The word passed into Tetum as dezafia.^[1]

Timeline

• 1188–1230 – desafidiet in a Latin law.^[2][3]
• 1194 – desfiar in a Latin law of the Portugaliae Monumenta Historica.^[3]
• 13th century – the Cantigas de Santa Maria have desafiado and desfiar.^[3][4]
• 15th century – first records of the nouns desafio and desafiação.^[4]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders it with Latin provoco.^[15]
• 1713 – Bluteau explains it through the faith that noblemen promised one another.^[10][2]
• 1789 – Morais lists the figurative senses “to brave” and “to arouse”.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. To challenge (someone) to a duel, fight or war.^[2][5][1]
2. To challenge to a contest or competition: desafiar o campeão para uma partida.^[2][13]
3. To dare (someone) to do something, often in the belief that they cannot: Desafiei-o a atravessar o rio a nado.^[2][13][1]
4. To defy, openly oppose (an authority, a custom), contest (contestar).^[2][14]
5. To arouse, stir up (appetite, anger, pity).^[2][5]
6. To put to the test.^[2][13]
7. To brave, face (danger, death, fate).^[2][5]
8. To invite (someone to do something or go somewhere).^[2][6]
9. To tempt, entice.^[2][5]
10. (Brazil, music) To challenge to a desafio, a sung poetic contest.^[2][5]
11. (reflexive) To challenge or provoke one another.^[5]

Word family

• desafio
• desafiador
• desafiante
• desafiação

Related words

• confiar
• fidelidade
• fiel
• fiar
• Spanish desafiar

Usage notes

Houaiss, Aurélio and the DLP also record desafiar “to blunt (a blade), take the edge off”, formed from des- and afiar “to sharpen”, with an old form desfiar in the 13th century.^[2][5][6] Viterbo records an old desafiar “to strip (someone) of his clothes and goods”, from the Ordenações Afonsinas.^[16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. desafiar
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. desafiar
4. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. desafiar
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. desafiar
6. ^ 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. desafiar
7. ^ a b c Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 153
8. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. desafiar
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 3282
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. desafiar
11. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 1, 542
12. ^ 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, 384
13. ^ a b c d 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. desafiar
14. ^ a b Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. desafiar
15. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. desafiar
16. ^ Viterbo, Joaquim de Santa Rosa de (1798–1799), Elucidario das palavras, termos e frases que em Portugal antiguamente se usárão, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 2, 33