presença

Forms

presença f (plural presenças)^[1] Medieval texts write presença, prezenza, presenza, presencia, preseça, presẽça and prezensa.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin praesentia (“presence”), written Old Galician-Portuguese presença and Old Galician-Portuguese prezenza in the oldest texts.^[2][4][1][3] Nascentes considers it semi-learned.^[5]

The same Latin word is Spanish presencia, Italian presenza, Catalan presència and Occitan preséncia.^[1][6]

The Latin noun is formed from praesēns (“present”) with the suffix -ia.^[7][1] The adjective is the present participle of praesum (“to be at the head of, preside over”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A charter of 1257 has e en prezenza de nos alcaydes “and in the presence of us, the alcaides”, and one of 1258–1261 en presença de todolos omees “in the presence of all the men”.^[3] The first sense is a person's being in a place, nearly always in the phrase en presença de “before, in front of”, as in the notarial formulas of the 14th century, en presença deste notario et testemoyas “before this notary and witnesses”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Houaiss records the sense “look, appearance” from the 14th century.^[2] The Miragres de Santiago use it of the saint's protective presence: nũca forõ desanparados da tua presença “they were never left without your presence”.^[3] Barbosa (1611) renders em presença with Latin coram, and Bluteau (1712–1728) defines the word as personal attendance, being before another person or in the same place.^[8][9] Morais (1813) adds the bearing and build of the body, a medical sense “abundance” in presença de sangue, and andar na presença de Deus “to live as in God's sight”.^[10]

Theology uses it for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.^[11] Modern senses include the existence of a thing in a place, attendance at classes or meetings, and the quality of a person who makes an impression, especially on stage.^[2][12] Presença de espírito is the ability to react quickly and aptly to the unexpected.^[2][13]

Timeline

• 1257 – en prezenza de nos alcaydes in a charter.^[3]
• 1258–1261 – en presença de todolos omees.^[3]
• 14th century – the sense “look, appearance”.^[2]
• 1365 – the spelling presença.^[2]
• 1416 – the word in the Vida de Santo Aleixo.^[14]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders it with Latin conspectus.^[15]
• 1611 – Barbosa gives em presença as Latin coram.^[8]
• 1813 – Morais adds the bearing of the body and andar na presença de Deus.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. presence: the fact of being in a place; attendance (comparecimento).^[2][12][1]
2. The fact that something exists in a place.^[2][12]
3. A person's general appearance, bearing or figure.^[2][12]
4. The quality of someone who draws attention and impresses; personality.^[2][16]
5. (figurative) Participation in an activity.^[2][11]
6. (figurative) Vitality, lasting influence, as of a culture.^[2]
7. Regular attendance, as at classes; assiduidade.^[12][16]

Word family

• presenciar
• presencial

Related words

• presente
• Latin praesentia
• Spanish presencia

Usage notes

Common phrases are em presença de “before; faced with”, na presença de “in the same place as”, and, in Brazil, marcar presença “to show up so as to be seen”.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. presença
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. presença
4. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. presença
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. presença
6. ^ 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. presencia
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. praesentia
8. ^ a b Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. presença
9. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. presença
10. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 496
11. ^ a b 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. presença
12. ^ a b c d e Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. presença
13. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. presença
14. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. presença
15. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. presença
16. ^ 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. presença