prestes

Forms

prestes (invariable)^[1]

Etymology

In the view of Houaiss and Nascentes it is inherited from Late Latin praestus (“present, ready”), through a variant *praestis that accounts for the ending ⟨-es⟩.^[2][3] Cunha accepts this but also allows a borrowing of Old Occitan prest.^[4] The REW takes the word from the Occitan one, and so does Lorenzo, who rejects Cornu's reconstruction and Machado's direct derivation from the Latin adverb.^[5][6] The DLP traces it to the Latin adjective through the Occitan word.^[7]

The Late Latin adjective, found only in inscriptions, was formed on the adverb praestō (“at hand, ready, available”).^[8][9][1] The OLD calls the ending of the adverb obscure, and Wiktionary gives rival analyses.^[10][1]

The same Late Latin word is French prêt, Catalan prest and Italian presto.^[1] In Galicia the word has given way to Galician presto, which already appeared beside the older word in the early 15th century.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo finds the word in a Galician charter of 1294: ca eu prestes estou de fazer dereyto sobrestas cousas “for I am ready to do right in these matters”.^[6] The Cantigas de Santa Maria have prestes estamos “we are ready”, and a Portuguese document of 1298, Houaiss's first date, has elles deuem a estar prestes pera entrar “they must be ready to enter”.^[6][2] The first sense is “ready, prepared”.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

The medieval word, singular or plural, meant “ready, prepared, willing” and is frequent in the chronicles and the notarial records.^[6] The adverb “promptly, without delay” appears in the 15th century.^[2] Bluteau (1712–1728) glosses it with Latin paratus, and Vieira (1871) quotes Damião de Góis on boats ready to land men.^[11][12] The sense “on the point of”, now usual in prestes a, grew out of “ready”.^[2][13] The adverb is now obsolete.^[2]

Timeline

• 1294 – eu prestes estou in a Galician charter.^[6]
• 1298 – estar prestes in a Portuguese document.^[6][2]
• c. 1430 – the Horto do Esposo (copy 1391–1450) uses prestes.^[14]
• 15th century – the adverb, also as aprestes “without delay”.^[2]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders prestes with a Latin adjective.^[15]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau glosses it paratus.^[11]
• 1871 – Vieira defines it as “prompt, prepared, on the point of”.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. ready, prepared, willing: Os soldados estavam prestes para partir.^[2][16][1]
2. About to, on the point of, imminent (usually prestes a): O comboio está prestes a sair.^[2][16][1]
3. quick, swift.^[2][16][1]
4. (obsolete) Available, at hand.^[2]

Adverb

1. (obsolete) promptly, without delay.^[2][16]

Related words

• preste
• presteza
• prestar
• Latin praestō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. prestes
3. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. prestes
4. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. prestar
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 415
6. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. prestes
7. ^ 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. prestes
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. praestō
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. prêt
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. praestō
11. ^ 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. prestes
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, 924
13. ^ 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. prestes
14. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. prestes
15. ^ Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. prestes
16. ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. prestes