modo

Forms

modo m (plural modos)^[1] The first record, in the 14th century, is the plural spelt moodos.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin modus (“measure; limit; manner”), a learned word.^[2][1][3] Houaiss dates it to the 14th century and Cunha to the 15th.^[2][4] García de Diego calls it a learned word in both Castilian and Portuguese, beside the popular Old Spanish muedo.^[5]

The Latin noun's popular outcomes are rare: Old French muef, Old Occitan mo and Catalan mou; Italian modo and Spanish modo are learned like the Portuguese word.^[6] Moda “fashion” has the same source by another route, through French mode.^[6][5]

In Latin the noun first meant a measured amount, a size or a limit, then moderation, rhythm and manner.^[2][7] De Vaan derives it from Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure, judgement”) and Proto-Indo-European *med-o- (“measure”), the source also of Umbrian mers (“law”) and Greek μήδεα (mḗdea, “counsels, plans”).^[7] Wiktionary traces it to the root Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”).^[1]

Semantic evolution

Barbosa's dictionary of 1611 already lists the adverbial phrases a meu modo “in my way”, de nenhum modo “in no way” and de outro modo “otherwise”.^[8] Bluteau gives maneira “manner” as its meaning, and his book of synonyms adds comedimento, cortesia, brandura and modéstia, the sense of restraint and good manners.^[9][10] Morais (1813) has the philosophical sense, the mode of being of a substance, as well as modo de vida “way of life, occupation”, “fashion” and “state, disposition”.^[11] The musical sense, the order of tones and semitones in a scale, is recorded from the 18th century.^[4] Vieira (1871) adds the terms of logic, such as the modes of the syllogism.^[12]

In the sense of good manners the word is mostly used in the plural, modos; in Rio Grande do Sul people and animals are said to have bons modos or maus modos.^[13][14]

Timeline

• 14th century – first record, the plural moodos.^[2]
• c. 1450 – the Livro das tres vertudes a insinança das damas (copy after 1450) uses modo often.^[15]
• 1504 – first record in a private letter.^[16]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders it by Latin modus.^[17]
• 1611 – Barbosa lists a meu modo, de nenhum modo and de outro modo.^[8]
• 1755 – Folqman gives por nenhum modo and de que modo? “how?”.^[18]
• 18th century – the musical sense.^[4]
• 1813 – Morais adds the philosophical sense and modo de vida.^[11]
• 1871 – Vieira lists the senses of philosophy and logic.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A way or manner of being, behaving, speaking or doing something: Explicou tudo de um modo muito claro.^[2][13][1]
2. A method, a usual or possible way of doing something: Qual é o melhor modo de chegar à estação?^[2][13]
3. A means, a possibility: Não encontrei modo de abrir a janela.^[2][13]
4. A situation or circumstance; in phrases such as de nenhum modo “in no way” and de qualquer modo “anyway”.^[2][1]
5. A state of mind, a disposition: Hoje não estou em modo de discutir.^[2][13]
6. (chiefly in the plural) Good manners, restraint, moderation (moderação).^[13][14]
7. (grammar) The mood of a verb: in Portuguese the indicative, the subjunctive and the imperative.^[2][1]
8. (law) The way a legal act or contract is to be carried out, and the clause that sets it.^[2]
9. (logic, philosophy) A form of the syllogism; a quality or determination of a substance that does not belong to its essence.^[2][12]
10. (music) A mode, one of the scales defined by the order of their tones and semitones.^[4][1]

Related words

• moda
• modal
• modalidade
• modelo
• modificar
• módico
• Latin modus
• Spanish modo

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. modo
3. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. modo
4. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. modo
5. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. modus
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 5633
7. ^ 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, p. s.v. modus
8. ^ a b Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. modo
9. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. modo
10. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. modo, Vocabulario de synonymos
11. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 308
12. ^ a b c Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 4, 285
13. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. modo
14. ^ a b Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. modo
15. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. modo
16. ^ CLUL (ed.) (2014), P.S. Post Scriptum: Arquivo Digital de Escrita Quotidiana em Portugal e Espanha na Época Moderna, Lisboa: Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, http://ps.clul.ul.pt, p. s.v. modo
17. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. modo
18. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. modo