direito

Forms

direito (feminine direita, masculine plural direitos, feminine plural direitas, comparable, comparative mais direito, superlative o mais direito or direitíssimo, diminutive direitinho)^[1] Houaiss records directo in 1277, dereyto in 1292, direito in the 13th century and dereijto in 1331.^[2] Cunha has dereyto from the 13th century and dereito and direyto from the 14th.^[3] The usual medieval form was dereito, the form of the cantigas, and modern Galician still writes dereito.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *dērēctus, the popular form of Latin dīrēctus (“straight; directed”), the past participle of dīrigō (“to direct, guide”), and was written Old Galician-Portuguese dereito in the oldest texts.^[3][2][6][1] The OLD records the spelling with ⟨dēr-⟩ in Latin itself, and Corominas notes that both forms appear in the manuscripts, the popular one in many manuscripts of Cicero and in glosses.^[7][8] Houaiss notes that the adjective and the noun are found side by side from the oldest documents.^[2]

The same Latin word is Galician dereito, Mirandese dereito, Spanish derecho, Catalan dret, Old Occitan drech, French droit, Italian diritto, Sardinian derettu and Romanian drept.^[9][8][10] The Latin cluster -ct- appears as ⟨it⟩ in the Portuguese and Galician forms, as ⟨ch⟩ in Spanish and as ⟨tt⟩ in Italian.^[9][10]

The vowel of the first syllable needs explaining: Corominas holds that all the Romance forms come from the popular *dērēctus, Portuguese included.^[8] Houaiss puts the modern ⟨i⟩ down to hypercorrection, Cunha to a reconstruction "probably more orthographic than phonetic", and Corominas to a purely orthographic correction;^[2][3][8][6] Nascentes describes the form as the old and popular one remade after the Latin.^[2][3][8][6] The later learned form of the same Latin word is direto.^[2]

The Latin verb is a derivative of regō (“to direct, guide, rule”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss's first record is from 1277, in the Latinising spelling directo;^[2] dereyto follows in 1292.^[2] Nascentes quotes the Portuguese translation of the Fuero Real of Alfonso X: firmadas en sseu dereyto en sseu poder "confirmed in his right, in his power".^[11] In the cantigas the noun means "justice, what is right": fazer dereito "to act justly", aver dereito "to be right", con dereito "rightly", as in the Cantigas de Santa Maria m'é irada con dereito "she is rightly angry with me".^[4][12]

Semantic evolution

The Romance word took the place of Latin dexter for "right (hand)" and, as a noun, of Latin iūs for "law, right" nearly everywhere.^[9] Medieval Latin already used directum for "law" and "justice", and Corominas finds a Spanish record of Latin directum in this sense in 1010.^[13][8] Nascentes rejects Pacheco Júnior's claim that the legal sense came from Germanic influence.^[11]

The Miragres de Santiago have the adjective "straight, just" and braço dereito "the right arm"; notarial books of the 14th and 15th centuries use the noun for a legal right, for "law" (dereitos escriptos et nõ escriptos "written and unwritten laws", 1390) and for the dues attached to a property (dereytos, 1435).^[4] Bluteau (1712–1728) leads with "not curved nor crooked" and records homem ás direitas "an upright man".^[14] Morais (1789) gives the noun the senses "what is morally just", "justice", "written or unwritten law", "a moral faculty granted by law" and "customs duty", and the phrase a torto e a direito "rightly or wrongly".^[15] Cunha dates direita "the right hand" to 1844; the political right followed.^[3]

Modern Portuguese adds law as a science and a university course, the right side of a fabric as opposed to the avesso, and in boxing a blow with the right fist.^[2] The word passed into the creoles: Kabuverdianu diritu and dretu, Guinea-Bissau Creole direta and Macanese drêto.^[1]

Timeline

• 1010 – Latin directum in the legal sense in a Spanish document.^[8]
• 1277 – first record, spelt directo.^[2]
• 1292 – dereyto.^[2]
• 1200s – dereito "justice, what is right" in the cantigas.^[4][3]
• 1331 – dereijto.^[2]
• 1390 – dereitos escriptos et nõ escriptos in a notarial book of Noia.^[4]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau's article, with homem ás direitas.^[14]
• 1755 – Folqman distinguishes "not crooked" (Latin rectus) from "not left" (dexter).^[16]
• 1789 – Morais lists the senses of the noun and a torto e a direito.^[15]
• 1844 – first record of direita "right hand".^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. straight, following the shortest line between two points; not curved: uma rua direita.^[2][17][1]
2. upright, vertical: Senta-te direito.^[2][18]
3. Flat and smooth.^[2][18]
4. right: on the side of the body opposite the heart, or on that side for an observer: o pé direito.^[2][19][1]
5. Right-handed (destro).^[2][20]
6. Just, honest, of good conduct: um rapaz direito.^[2][21][1]
7. Correct, as it should be: As contas estão direitas.^[2][1]
8. Tidy, properly arranged.^[2][22]
9. Loyal, sincere.^[2][21]

Noun

1. What is just and right.^[2][17]
2. A right: what the law or custom allows a person or group to have or do, or to demand of others.^[2][21]
3. A privilege, a prerogative.^[2][18]
4. (law) law: the body of rules that govern life in a society, or those in force in a country.^[2][1]
5. (law) Law as a science and as a university course.^[2][23]
6. (usually plural) A duty or tax: direitos alfandegários.^[17][18]
7. (textiles) The right side of a fabric, as opposed to the avesso.^[2][18]
8. (boxing) A blow with the right fist.^[2][18]

Adverb

1. Straight, directly, without detours: Vai direito para casa.^[19][18]
2. Properly, correctly: Não dormi direito.^[17][19]

Word family

• direita
• direitamente
• endireitar

Related words

• direitismo
• direitista
• direitura
• diretamente
• direto
• dirigir
• reto
• Latin dīrēctus
• Galician dereito
• Spanish derecho

Usage notes

A torto e a direito means "rightly or wrongly, without regard to justice".^[15] In Portugal direito after an ordinal names the flat on the right of the stairs (2.º direito), and estamos direitos means "we are quits".^[19][20] In Rio Grande do Sul a galo direito is a fighting cock with both eyes, as opposed to a galo torto.^[24]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 u v w x y z 27 28 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. direito
3. ^ a b c d e f g Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. direito
4. ^ 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. dereito
5. ^ Estraviz, Isaac Alonso, Dicionário Estraviz, https://estraviz.org, p. s.v. dereito
6. ^ a b c Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. direito
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. dīrectus
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 445
9. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2648
10. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. directus
11. ^ a b Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 160
12. ^ Lopes, Graça Videira; Ferreira, Manuel Pedro et al. (2011–), Cantigas Medievais Galego-Portuguesas [online database], Lisboa: Instituto de Estudos Medievais, FCSH/NOVA, https://cantigas.fcsh.unl.pt, p. s.v. dereito
13. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. directus
14. ^ 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. direito
15. ^ a b c 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, 441
16. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. direito
17. ^ a b c d Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 3184
18. ^ a b c d e f g 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. direito
19. ^ a b c d 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. direito
20. ^ 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. direito
21. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. direito
22. ^ 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. direito
23. ^ Wikcionário (Portuguese Wiktionary), pt.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. direito
24. ^ Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. direito