multidão

Forms

multidão f (plural multidões)^[1] Medieval texts have moltydoem (1393), multidom, multidoõe and muytedũe (14th century), moltidom and multiidõe (15th century).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin multitūdō (“great number, multitude”), in a semi-learned form: Nascentes and Aurélio derive it through the archaic Old Galician-Portuguese multidõe and multidom.^[4][5][2] Nascentes adds that the ending was confused with the suffix -dão.^[4] Wiktionary calls it a semi-learned borrowing from the Latin accusative.^[1] Cunha also records the 14th-century form muytedũe.^[3]

The Latin noun is formed from multus (“much, many”) with the suffix -tūdō.^[6][1]

The same Latin word is Italian moltitudine and Spanish muchedumbre.^[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss dates the first record to 1393, spelt moltydoem.^[2] Cardoso's Portuguese–Latin dictionary of 1569 renders multidão with Latin multitudo.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Barbosa's dictionary of 1611 has grande multidão “a great multitude”, and Bluteau defines the word simply as a great number.^[9][10] Morais (1789) gives examples with people and with enemies.^[11] Vieira defines it as a large gathering of people, quoting Francisco de Moraes's Palmeirim de Inglaterra on the host of English and foreign knights.^[12] The original Caldas Aulete adds the senses “heap, abundance” and “the common people, the populace”.^[13]

Modern sociology uses the word for a loose, short-lived gathering of people who react in a similar way to the same stimuli.^[5][14][15]

Timeline

• 1393 – first record, spelt moltydoem.^[2]
• 14th century – multidom, multidoõe and muytedũe.^[2][3]
• 15th century – moltidom and multiidõe.^[2]
• 1569 – Cardoso's dictionary lists multidão.^[8]
• 1611 – Barbosa lists grande multidão.^[9]
• 1789 – Morais defines it as a great number of people or enemies.^[11]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira defines it as a large gathering of people.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A great number of beings or things: uma multidão de pássaros.^[2][13][1]
2. A crowd, a large gathering of people: A multidão encheu a praça.^[2][15][1]
3. The common people, the masses;^[2][13][14] (pejorative) the mob.^[2][13][14]
4. A heap; abundance.^[2][5]
5. (sociology) A loose, heterogeneous gathering of people in direct contact who react alike to the same stimuli.^[5][15]

Related words

• muito
• Latin multitudo
• Spanish muchedumbre

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. multidão
3. ^ a b c Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. multidão
4. ^ a b Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. multidão
5. ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. multidão
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. multitudo
7. ^ Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. muchedumbre
8. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. multidão
9. ^ a b Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. multidão
10. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. multidão
11. ^ 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. 2, 103
12. ^ a b 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, 353
13. ^ a b c d 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. multidão
14. ^ 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. multidão
15. ^ a b c 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. multidão