propor

Forms

propor (first-person singular present proponho, first-person singular preterite propus, past participle proposto)^[1] Old Galician-Portuguese has propoer (13th century) and prepoer (14th century); the 15th century writes forms such as porpuse, propoinha, propõoe and propuge.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin prōpōnō (“to set forth, display; to propose”), written Old Galician-Portuguese propoer in the oldest texts.^[2][3][4][5] Nascentes calls it semi-learned, coming through that form;^[4][1] Wiktionary calls it a learned borrowing.^[4][1]

The same Latin verb is Galician propor, Spanish proponer, Italian proporre and Romanian propune; French proposer was reshaped after poser.^[1][6] In Galicia the form propoñer is also used.^[7]

The Latin verb is formed from prō- (“forward, before”) and pōnō (“to put, place”).^[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's chronology quotes Cantiga 238 of the Cantigas de Santa Maria: mais o coraçon proposo e todos los sisos seus / en viltar santa Maria “but he set his heart and all his wits on insulting Holy Mary”.^[5] The sense there is “to resolve, set one's mind on”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The spelling propor and the reflexive sense “to have as one's aim” are recorded from the 14th century.^[2] Cardoso in 1569 and Barbosa in 1611 render it by Latin propono.^[9][10] Bluteau defines it as setting something out with reasons, and gives the uses “to put a question or problem”, “to hold up as an example”, “to declare, expound” and propor de fazer “to resolve to do”.^[11] Vieira quotes the Lusíadas for the sense “to set before, expound”.^[12]

The legal sense “to bring an action” goes back to Medieval Latin.^[13][3] The modern senses add “to put forward as a candidate”, “to offer as a price” and “to challenge with a riddle”.^[2][14]

Timeline

• 13th century – proposo in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[5][2]
• 14th century – the spelling propor and the reflexive “to aim at”.^[2]
• 15th century – forms such as porpuse and propoinha.^[2]
• 1569 – Cardoso's dictionary lists it.^[9]
• 1611 – Barbosa gives Cicero's rem in medio proponere.^[10]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau's article on its uses.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To propose, put forward (a plan, an offer) to someone: O sindicato propôs um acordo à empresa.^[2][15]
2. To submit for consideration; to suggest: Ela propôs um jantar fora.^[2][14][15]
3. To put forward (someone or oneself) as a candidate.^[2][15]
4. To relate, set out (a matter) to someone.^[2][16]
5. To offer as a price.^[2][14]
6. To challenge someone with (a riddle, a game).^[2][17]
7. (law) To bring (an action) in court.^{[2][14][15][1]}
8. To determine, ordain.^[2][14]
9. (reflexive) To offer oneself, undertake; to have as one's aim; to resolve: Propôs-se acabar a tese até junho.^[2][16][1]

Word family

• proposto
• proposta

Related words

• pôr
• propósito
• proposição
• proponente
• Latin prōpōnō

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 n o p Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. propor
3. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. propor
4. ^ a b c Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. propor
5. ^ a b c d 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. propoer
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. proposer
7. ^ 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. propoñer
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. prōpōnō
9. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. propor
10. ^ a b Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. propor
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. propor
12. ^ 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, 977
13. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. proponere
14. ^ a b c d e Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. propor
15. ^ a b c d 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. propor
16. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. propor
17. ^ 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. propor