garbo

Forms

garbo m (plural garbos)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian garbo (“courteous manner”), recorded in Italian in 1540–1541.^[2][3][4][1] Houaiss calls the Italian word of disputed origin.^[2] Nocentini and Corominas derive it from Arabic قالب (qālib, “mould, model”), the source of calibre too, and the DLP and Porto Editora gloss the Italian word as “model”.^[5][6][7][8] Wiktionary gives as the alternative Old High German garwi (“dress, equipment”), from Proto-Germanic *garwijaną (“to prepare”), and traces the Arabic word through Persian کالب (kâlob) to Ancient Greek καλοπόδιον (kālopódion, “shoemaker's last”).^[1] Nocentini finds the Arabic origin more convincing, since it explains the Calabrian and Genoese dialect forms and the Genoese sense “template of a ship's timbers”.^[5] The older Portuguese dictionaries, after A. Coelho, took the word from Old High German garawi (“ornament”).^[9][10] Spanish garbo, recorded in 1575, is likewise an Italianism.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the word from Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos's Ulysippo, and Morais later cites homem de garbo “a gallant man” from that work.^[2][11] The sense was grace and elegance of manner.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau (1712–1728) glosses the word as grace and good manner in acting and speaking.^[12] Morais (1789) adds gracefulness of carriage and movement, and in 1813 courage and spirit.^[13][11] The sense of a martial bearing, as of soldiers on parade, is recorded in the modern dictionaries.^[2][14] The derivative garboso is recorded from 1836.^[3]

Timeline

• 1540–1541 – the Italian word, in Firenzuola.^[4]
• 16th century – Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos uses garbo.^[2][3]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau glosses it as grace and good manners.^[12]
• 1789 – Morais adds elegance of carriage.^[13]
• 1836 – first record of garboso.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. elegance of manner and gesture; galhardia, donaire.^[2][15][7]
2. An imposing, martial bearing: os cadetes marcharam com garbo.^[2][14]
3. distinction, excellence in the way something is done.^[2][15][7]
4. Spirit, sense of honour; brio, pundonor.^[15][7]

Word family

• garboso

Related words

• Italian garbo

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. garbo
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. garbo
4. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli, p. s.v. garbo
5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier, p. s.v. garbo
6. ^ a b Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 3, 90
7. ^ 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. garbo
8. ^ Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 4607
9. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 235
10. ^ Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. 654
11. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 79
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. garbo
13. ^ 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, 652
14. ^ a b 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. garbo
15. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. garbo