elegância

Forms

elegância f (plural elegâncias)^[1] Houaiss records elegançia in 1540 and elegancia in 1562.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ēlegantia (“taste, refinement, correctness”), first recorded in 1540.^[2][3][1] Nascentes calls it semi-learned.^[4] Cunha records the adjective elegante already in the 15th century, before the noun.^[3]

The Latin noun is formed from ēlegāns (“choosy; refined”) with the suffix -ia.^[5][1] The adjective is the participle of an unattested verb *ēlegāre, related to ēligō (“to choose”).^[6][1] In early Latin it still meant “fastidiousness, choosiness”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the first record, spelt elegançia, to 1540.^[2] The early dictionaries use the word mainly of language: for Feijó (1734) it is the ornament of words and style.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Morais (1789) still puts first the choice and polish of words in speech, then delicate taste in any work of art, then beauty, quoting elegância dos vestidos “the elegance of dresses” from Arraes.^[8] Vieira's dictionary (1871–1874) defines it as the good choice and placing of words that make speech cultivated and fluent.^[9] In the old Caldas Aulete grace and distinction in dress, bearing and manners come first, and the style of language second.^[10] Modern dictionaries lead with harmony of forms and movement and good taste in dress, and keep the senses of courtesy and of a refined choice of words.^[2][11] Houaiss also records slimness of figure and, collectively, the elegant people at an event.^[2]

Timeline

• 1540 – first record, spelt elegançia.^[2]
• 1562 – the spelling elegancia.^[2]
• 1734 – Feijó: the ornament of words and style.^[7]
• 1789 – Morais adds good taste in art and dress.^[8]
• 1881 – first record of inelegância;^[3] deselegância follows in 1899.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Harmony and lightness of forms, lines and proportions, and of movement; grace, garbo.^[2][12][1]
2. Good taste in the choice of clothes and the way they are worn.^[2][13]
3. A slim figure; slenderness.^[2]
4. Courtesy and distinction in behaviour; refinement.^[2][12]
5. Fitness and grace in the choice and arrangement of words; correctness of style.^[2][14]
6. Nobility of character or conduct; integrity.^[2]
7. The elegant people present, collectively.^[2]
8. Refined aesthetic taste: a elegância da sala.^[2][15]

Word family

• deselegância
• inelegância

Related words

• elegante
• deselegante
• inelegante
• Latin ēlegantia

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 n o Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. elegância
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. elegância
4. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. elegância
5. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. ēlegantia
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. ēlegans
7. ^ 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. elegância
8. ^ 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, 464
9. ^ Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 3, 24
10. ^ 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. elegância
11. ^ 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. elegância
12. ^ a b Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. elegância
13. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. elegância
14. ^ 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. elegância
15. ^ Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 3368