feitiço

Forms

feitiço m (plural feitiços)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin factīcius (“made by art, artificial”).^[2][3][1][4] The Latin adjective is formed from factus (“made”), the participle of faciō (“to make”), with the suffix -īcius.^[5][1]

The noun is the adjective “artificial” used as a noun, for the artifices of sorcerers.^[6] Nascentes, Aurélio and Michaelis instead take the adjective to be formed from Portuguese feito + -iço.^[6][7][8]

The same Latin word is Spanish hechizo, Galician feitizo, Old French faitis (“pretty”) and Sardinian fattittu; factício is a learned borrowing of it.^[9][10][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the adjective “artificial” to the 15th century, from Cunha's medieval index, and Cunha dates the noun “sorcery” to the same century.^[2][3] The derivative feiticeiro “sorcerer” is older, recorded as feytizeyro in the 14th century.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Houaiss notes that feitiço, like Spanish hechizo, competed with bruxaria in the Peninsula.^[2] Cardoso (1569) translates it as Latin philtrum “love potion”, and Bluteau defines it as a thing that has its effect only through the Devil.^[11][12] The figurative sense “charm, fascination” followed.^[2][12]

Houaiss notes that feitiço was already used in African languages in the 16th century.^[2] French took it from Portuguese as fetisso in 1605 and as fétiche in 1669, first for the cult objects of the peoples Europeans met on their voyages.^[13] The French form, fetiche, is recorded in Portuguese from 1873.^[3] In the region of the Zaire feitiço also named a store where payments were made to local people.^[2][14]

Timeline

• 14th century – feytizeyro “sorcerer”.^[3]
• 15th century – first record of feitiço, adjective and noun.^[2][3]
• 16th century – feitiço is used in African languages.^[2]
• 1569 – Cardoso translates it as philtrum.^[11]
• 1605 – French fetisso, from the Portuguese word.^[13]
• 1614 – first record of enfeitiçar.^[3]
• 1873 – first record of fetiche.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A spell, an act of witchcraft or sorcery.^[2][1]
2. An object or preparation used in witchcraft; an amulet or charm.^[2][4][1]
3. (figurative) A strong attraction or fascination.^[2][15]

Adjective

1. (rare) Artificial, false, not natural.^[2][16][1]

Word family

• feiticeiro
• feitiçaria
• enfeitiçar
• desenfeitiçar
• enfeitiçamento

Related words

• fetiche
• factício
• feito
• Latin factīcius

Usage notes

Virar-se o feitiço contra o feiticeiro “the spell turns against the sorcerer” is said when harm meant for another falls on its author.^[2][4]

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. feitiço
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. feitiço
4. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 4231
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. feitiço
7. ^ Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. feitiço
8. ^ 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. feitiço
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. facticius
10. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. facticius
11. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. feitiço
12. ^ 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. feitiço
13. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. fétiche
14. ^ Silva Bastos, José Timóteo da (1912), Diccionario etymologico, prosodico e orthographico da lingua portugueza, Lisboa: Parceria António Maria Pereira, p. s.v. feitiço
15. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. feitiço
16. ^ 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. feitiço