lágrima

Forms

lágrima f (plural lágrimas)^[1] The oldest texts write lagrima; the 15th century also has lagrema and lagrijma.^[2][3][1] Feijó's Orthographia (1734) prefers lágrima to lagrema, and the classical spelling lagryma is also found.^[4][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin lacrima (“tear”), written Old Galician-Portuguese lagrima in the oldest texts.^[3][1][5][2] Nascentes notes, after Nunes, that it is a popular word in spite of its stress on the third syllable from the end.^[6] The Latin /k/ before /r/ was voiced to /ɡ/.^[1]

The same Latin word is Galician lágrima, Spanish lágrima, Catalan llàgrima, French larme, Italian lacrima and Romanian lacrimă.^[7][1]

The Latin word also had the forms lacruma and, in the oldest texts, dacrima.^[8] Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Indo-European *dáḱru- (“tear”), from an earlier compound “eye-bitter”, and de Vaan gives the same compound as the reconstruction, with cognates such as Ancient Greek δάκρυ (dákru) and Old High German zahar.^[8][1] Many scholars regard the Latin word as a loan from Ancient Greek δάκρυμα (dákruma); de Vaan notes against this that the Greek form is late and never the usual Greek word for a tear.^[8][9] The change of initial /d/ to /l/ is also seen in lingua (“tongue”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cantigas de Santa Maria have the word in the 13th century, in the plural: de mias lagrimas duas enchi tod' este pichel “with two of my tears I filled this whole jug”.^[2][3] The Crónica Troiana speaks of tantas lagrimas to be wept, and the sense is already the drop that runs from the eyes in weeping.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau explains lagrimas de crocodilo “crocodile tears”, false tears, by the story that the crocodile weeps when it sees a man and then devours him.^[10] Morais adds the resin that some plants exude, such as incense, called lagrimas sabeas after Camões, and a plant of the same name.^[11] Modern dictionaries record a very small quantity of a liquid, any tear-shaped object or ornament, and the fuchsia.^[3][12] In Portugal lágrima is also the wine that runs from the grapes under their own weight, before pressing.^[13][14] Macanese has the word as lágri.^[1]

Timeline

• 13th century – lagrimas in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[2][3]
• 15th century – the forms lagremas and lagrijmas, and the derivative lagrimal.^[3][15]
• 1521 – first record of lagrimejar, as lagremejando.^[16]
• 1569 – Cardoso gives lagrima with the Latin lachryma.^[17]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau explains lagrimas de crocodilo.^[10]
• 1734 – Feijó prefers lágrima to lagrema.^[4]
• 1813 – Morais records the resin sense and lagrimas sabeas.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A tear: a drop of the clear, salty fluid produced by glands of the eye, which keeps it moist.^[3][13][1]
2. (in the plural) weeping;^[3][18] (figurative) grief, sorrow: Foi um ano de lágrimas.^[3][18]
3. (figurative) A very small amount of a liquid; a drop: só uma lágrima de leite no café.^[3][12][18]
4. Something shaped like a tear, such as a pendant;^[3][13][19] (architecture) a tear-shaped ornament, as on funeral monuments.^[3][13][19]
5. The resin or gum that oozes from the trunk of some trees.^[3][19]
6. (botany) The fuchsia.^[3][20]
7. (Portugal) The wine made from the juice that runs from the grapes under their own weight.^[13][14]

Word family

• lagrimal
• lagrimejar
• lagrimoso

Related words

• lacrimal
• lacrimejar
• lacrimoso
• Latin lacrima
• Galician lágrima

Usage notes

Lágrimas de crocodilo are false tears, and chorar lágrimas de sangue is to weep bitterly or feel deep remorse.^[18][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. lagrima
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. lágrima
4. ^ a b Feijó, João de Morais Madureira (1734), Orthographia, ou Arte de escrever, e pronunciar com acerto a lingua portugueza, Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. lágrima
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. lágrima
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. 288
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 4824
8. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. larme
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. lagrima
11. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 200
12. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. lágrima
13. ^ a b c d e 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. lágrima
14. ^ a b Instituto da Lingua Galega, Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (TLPGP), Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/tesouro, p. s.v. lágrima
15. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. lagrimal
16. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. lagrimejar
17. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. lagrima
18. ^ a b c d Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 5549
19. ^ a b c 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. lágrima
20. ^ Wikcionário (Portuguese Wiktionary), pt.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. lágrima