lepra

Forms

lepra f (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin lepra (“leprosy”), a learned word, which is from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra).^[2][3][4] In Greek the word named a disease that makes the skin scaly, and Wiktionary connects it with λεπίς (lepís, “scale”) and λέπω (lépō, “to peel”).^[5][1] Wiktionary also notes that the formation is unclear, and that both Greek words may be Pre-Greek.^[1] The OLD notes that in Latin the word covered several inflammatory skin diseases, probably most often psoriasis.^[6]

Spanish, Galician and Catalan also have the learned Spanish lepra, Galician lepra and Catalan lepra, as does French lèpre, while Italian lebbra shows the popular development.^[7][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss and Cunha date the word to the 15th century, when Cunha also records the adjective leproso.^[2][3] Cardoso's Latin–Portuguese dictionary of 1562 gives a lepra ou gafem for Latin lepra or elephantiasis.^[10]

Semantic evolution

The old word covered many skin diseases, especially chronic or contagious ones;^[2][11] Morais in 1789 describes it as a kind of scabies that covers the skin with ugly crusts and eats the flesh.^[2][11] In modern medicine it is the disease caused by Hansen's bacillus, also called hanseníase.^[2][12] The word is used figuratively for any harmful thing that spreads, popularly in Brazil for mange in dogs, and in technical use for fungal diseases of plants and for the impurity that metals acquire in the earth.^{[2][13][14][15]}

Timeline

• 15th century – first records of lepra and leproso.^[3]
• 1562 – Cardoso gives a lepra ou gafem.^[10]
• 1611 – Barbosa lists lepra, leproso and cousa de lepra.^[16]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau defines it as a contagious disease from corrupted blood.^[17]
• 1789 – Morais describes it as a kind of scabies.^[11]
• 1873 – first record of leprosário.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (medicine) leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae that affects the skin, mucous membranes and nerves; hanseníase: Durante séculos, os doentes de lepra viveram isolados.^[2][12][1]
2. (historical) In antiquity, any of various skin diseases, especially chronic or contagious ones.^[2]
3. (Brazil, informal) mange in dogs.^[2][13]
4. (figurative) Something harmful that spreads like a contagion: A corrupção é a lepra desta cidade.^[2][14]
5. (botany) A disease of plants caused by fungi, as on the leaves of the peach tree.^[18][14]
6. (technical) The impurity that metals acquire when covered with earth.^[15][19]

Word family

• leprologia
• leprólogo
• leprosário
• leproso

Related words

• Latin lepra

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. lepra
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. lepra
4. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. lepra
5. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 4989
8. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954)
9. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 3, 632
10. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1562), Dictionarium juventuti studiosae admodum frugiferum, Coimbra: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. lepra
11. ^ a b c 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. 2, 16
12. ^ a b Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. lepra
13. ^ a b Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. lepra
14. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 5644
15. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. lepra
16. ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. lepra
17. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. lepra
18. ^ 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. lepra
19. ^ 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. lepra