expor

Forms

expor (first-person singular present exponho, first-person singular preterite expus, past participle exposto)^[1] The 14th-century form was espoer;^[2][3] expor and spoer are 15th-century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin expōnō (“to put out, set out; to explain”), first recorded in the 14th century as Old Galician-Portuguese espoer.^[2][3] Nascentes derives the modern verb through that old form.^[4] Wiktionary calls it a learned borrowing.^[1]

The same Latin verb is Spanish exponer, Italian esporre, Romanian spune and the old Old French espondre; French exposer was remade on poser.^[5][6][1] The Latin verb is formed from ex- and pōnō (“to put, place”).^[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss and Cunha date the verb to the 14th century, in the form espoer, with the senses of putting at risk and of telling or relating.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau (1712–1728) gives “to put in view”, expor ao ar, ao Sol, expor-se ao perigo “to expose oneself to danger”, and the liturgical expor o Santíssimo Sacramento “to expose the Blessed Sacrament”.^[8] Pereira's Thesouro (1697) glosses it with Latin objecto and expono.^[9]

Houaiss lists the modern range: to show or exhibit, to uncover, to leave unprotected, to make known or explain, to subject to an action (sun, radiation, ridicule), and intransitively, of an artist, to hold an exhibition.^[2]

Timeline

• 14th century – first record, as espoer.^[2][3]
• 15th century – the spellings expor and spoer.^[2]
• 1538 – the plural noun exposições is recorded.^[3]
• 1582 – the participle exposto is recorded.^[3]
• 1697 – Pereira lists Expor.^[9]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau records expor-se ao perigo and expor o Santíssimo Sacramento.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To show, put on view or exhibit: expor quadros numa galeria.^[2][1]
2. To leave uncovered, to expose: O vestido expunha-lhe os ombros.^[2][1]
3. To leave without protection; reflexive, to run a risk: Expôs-se ao perigo sem pensar.^[2][1]
4. To make known, set out or explain: O professor expôs as suas ideias.^[2][10]
5. To subject to an action or influence: expor as costas ao sol.^[2][1]
6. (intransitive) Of an artist, to hold an exhibition.^[2]

Word family

• exposto

Related words

• exposição
• expositor
• pôr
• Latin expōnō
• Spanish exponer

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. expor
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. expor
4. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. expor
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. exposer
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. expōnō
8. ^ 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. expor
9. ^ 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. expor
10. ^ Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. expor