gesso

Forms

gesso m (plural gessos)^[1] The 16th century also wrote jesso.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin gypsum (“gypsum, plaster”),^[2][3][1] which is from Ancient Greek γύψος (gúpsos, “gypsum, chalk, cement”).^[4][5] Nascentes notes that Lokotsch allowed for Arabic influence and considered the Greek and Latin word to be of Eastern origin.^[6] Beekes suggests, with a question mark, a loan from Semitic.^[5]

The same Latin word is Italian gesso, Occitan geis, Catalan guix, Spanish yeso and Galician xeso.^[7][8][1] Its doublet is giz “chalk”, which came through Arabic.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the first record to 1508, in the sense of the mineral and of the plaster made from it.^[2] Cardoso's Portuguese–Latin dictionary of 1569 renders gesso by Latin gypsum.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau describes two kinds: an artificial plaster of a white flaky stone that is burnt, ground and sieved, and a natural one dug out of the ground; he also describes gesso mate, a fine plaster used by painters and gilders under the gold leaf.^[10] Houaiss dates gesso comum to 1713 and gesso de Paris, plaster of Paris, to 1949.^[2]

The word was extended to works of art and ornaments moulded in plaster, and in orthopaedics to the plaster cast that holds a fracture.^[2][11] The verb engessar is recorded from 1813.^[3] Slang used gesso for “wine”, as the original Aulete and Figueiredo (1899) record.^[11][12][13]

Timeline

• 1508 – first record, in Houaiss.^[2]
• 1567 – the spelling jesso.^[2]
• 1569 – Cardoso enters gesso with Latin gypsum.^[9]
• 1611 – Barbosa adds engessar and engessada cousa.^[14]
• 1713 – first record of gesso comum.^[2]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau describes natural and artificial plaster and gesso mate.^[10]
• 1813 – first record of engessar.^[3]
• 1899 – Figueiredo records the slang sense “wine”.^[12]
• 1949 – first record of gesso de Paris.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (mineralogy) gypsum, hydrated calcium sulphate; gipsita.^[2][15][1]
2. plaster: the white powder made by heating gypsum, which sets when mixed with water and is used in stucco, mouldings and casts.^[2][16][1]
3. A work of art or an ornament moulded in plaster.^[2][16][15]
4. (medicine) A plaster cast for a broken bone.^[2][15][1]
5. (slang) wine.^[13][12]

Word family

• engessar
• gessar
• gesseiro
• desengessar

Related words

• engessado
• engessador
• giz
• gipsita
• gípseo
• gipsófila
• Latin gypsum
• Spanish yeso
• Galician xeso

Usage notes

The word is pronounced with a closed /e/.^[16] Houaiss also records a form with open /é/ in São Tomé and Príncipe, naming a pipe made of plaster.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. gesso
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. gesso
4. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. gypsum
5. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. γύψος
6. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 241
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 3936
8. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. gypsum
9. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. gesso
10. ^ 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. gesso
11. ^ a b 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. gesso
12. ^ a b c Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. 664
13. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. gesso
14. ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. gesso
15. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 4683
16. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. gesso