firme

Forms

firme m or f (plural firmes)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin firmis, the Vulgar Latin form of Latin firmus (“firm, solid, strong”), written Old Galician-Portuguese firme in the oldest texts.^[2][3][4][1] The Vulgar Latin adjective of the third declension, with its ending ⟨-is⟩, explains the final ⟨-e⟩ of the Portuguese and Spanish word.^[5][6][7] Nascentes also mentions an archaic Old Galician-Portuguese fermo, the form kept in enfermo.^[8]

Spanish firme has the same origin, while Italian fermo, French ferme and Occitan ferm continue the classical adjective; the REW sets the Spanish and Portuguese forms apart in brackets.^[9][6][10]

The Latin adjective goes back to Proto-Italic *fermos and Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo- (“holding”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to hold”), and is related to Sanskrit धर्म (dharma).^[11][1] De Vaan suggests that the ⟨i⟩ of the Latin word comes from an older ⟨e⟩ raised after the labial.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's chronology finds the word in Galician-Portuguese charters from 1255: a testator wishes que este meu testamento que seya firme e stavil “that this my testament be firm and stable”, and in 1259 a lease remana firme “remains binding”.^[4] The first sense was thus legal validity, beside the physical and moral steadiness of the Cantigas de Santa Maria (se nos firme creermos “if we believe firmly”, firm’esperança “firm hope”).^[4]

Semantic evolution

The Crónica Troiana uses firme of a resolute, constant hero, and the cantigas have the adverbial phrase a firmes “firmly”.^[4][12] Bluteau in 1712 separates the physical sense, of walls and doors that cannot easily be shaken, from the senses “fixed, stable” and “constant”.^[13] Morais in 1789 records terra firme, the inland country as opposed to the sea, and canto firme, plainchant.^[14][15] Figueiredo in 1899 has the financial sense, of loans and public funds bought or sold at a fixed term.^[16] Modern dictionaries add a fast colour that does not fade, settled weather, and in Brazil the noun firme, high dry ground among flooded forest.^[2][17]

Timeline

• 1255 – firme in a Galician-Portuguese testament.^[4]
• 13th century – first records in Houaiss and the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[2][4]
• c. 1400 – first record in the CTA corpus, in a fragment of the Flos Sanctorum.^[18]
• 1712 – Bluteau distinguishes the physical and moral senses.^[13]
• 1789 – Morais records terra firme and canto firme.^[14]
• 1899 – Figueiredo records the financial sense.^[16]

Meanings

Adjective

1. firm, fixed, secure; firmly set or supported: A escada está firme.^[2][1][19]
2. Solid, resistant, that does not give way (of ground).^[2]
3. steady, not trembling or wavering: uma mão firme.^[2][17]
4. Taut, not flabby; erect.^[2][19]
5. stable, unchanging (of weather); fast, not fading (of a colour).^[2][20]
6. resolute, determined; steadfast, unshakeable; also obstinate.^[2][21]
7. Reliable, that offers security: um negócio firme.^[2][19]
8. (finance) Made at a fixed term (of loans and dealings in public funds).^[2][17]

Noun

1. (Brazil) Raised ground amid igapós or flooded land.^[2][17]
2. (geology) Firm ground below unstable surface deposits, strong enough to build on.^[3][20]

Adverb

1. Steadily, unflinchingly.^[2]

Word family

• firmeza
• firmemente

Related words

• firmar
• afirmar
• firmamento
• enfermo
• Latin firmus
• Spanish firme

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. firme
3. ^ a b 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. firme
4. ^ a b c d e f 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. firme
5. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 528
6. ^ a b Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. firme
7. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 217
8. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. firme
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. firmus
10. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. ferme
11. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
12. ^ Universo Cantigas: Glosario da poesía medieval profana galego-portuguesa, A Coruña: Instituto da Lingua e Literatura (ILLA), Universidade da Coruña, https://www.universocantigas.gal, p. s.v. firme
13. ^ 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. firme
14. ^ 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, 618
15. ^ 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, 699
16. ^ a b Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. s.v. firme
17. ^ a b c d Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. firme
18. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. firme
19. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. firme
20. ^ a b Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 4318
21. ^ 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. firme