publicar

Forms

publicar (first-person singular present publico, first-person singular preterite publiquei, past participle publicado)^[1] Medieval texts write poblicar (1306), pobricar (1315), pubrycar (1344), probjcar (1360), propricar (1427) and provicar.^[2] Houaiss adds pubricar in 1390 and poblicar and proujqar in the 15th century.^[3] Feijó in 1734 still warned that one should write publicar and not pubricar.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pūblicō (“to make public”), a learned word.^[3][1][5] The REW records the old Portuguese form Old Galician-Portuguese provicar beside Italian piuvicare and French publier.^[6]

The Latin verb is formed on pūblicus (“of the people, public”),^[7][1] which goes back to poplicus, from populus (“people”); the change of -op- to -ūb- is usually put down to the influence of pūbēs (“adult population”).^[1][8] The same Latin word gave Spanish publicar, Galician publicar, Catalan publicar and Italian pubblicare.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo placed the first record in the Fuero Real, in the participle publicado, but a newer reading of that passage has the adjective público, which moves the first record to a Portuguese document of 1306: fez leer e poblicar per mĩ “had it read out and published by me”.^[2] Houaiss still dates the verb to the 13th century.^[3] The first sense is to make a document known by reading it aloud.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Medieval notaries leer e publicar a charter, reading it aloud in public, for example in a church.^[2] Bluteau defines the verb as making something public by proclamation or trumpet, or with posters, and as announcing games, feasts or court holidays.^[9] Morais in 1789 adds the publishing of writings, printed or in manuscript.^[10] In 1813 he also records the reflexive “to show oneself openly”, as a woman's lover.^[11] Today the main sense is to issue a book or periodical, and Porto Editora adds posting texts or photos on the Internet.^[12][13]

Timeline

• 13th century – Houaiss's first date.^[3]
• 1306 – fez leer e poblicar in a Portuguese charter.^[2]
• 1315 – the spelling pobricar.^[2]
• 1360 – leer e probjcar ffez.^[2]
• 1390 – the spelling pubricar.^[3]
• 1518 – publicar in the Espelho de Cristina.^[14]
• 1544 – pubricou in a private letter.^[15]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau: to make public by proclamation, trumpet or posters.^[9]
• 1734 – Feijó rejects pubricar.^[4]
• 1789 – Morais adds the publishing of printed or written works.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To make public; to divulge, spread: Alguém publicou a notícia antes do tempo.^[3][12][1]
2. (transitive) To make officially known; to promulgate a law or decree.^[3][12][16]
3. (transitive) To publish: to reproduce a written work by printing or other means and issue it: A editora vai publicar o romance em março.^[3][13][1]
4. (transitive) To print and sell or distribute a text, drawing or picture.^[3]
5. (transitive) To post a text or photo on the Internet.^[13]
6. (transitive) To pronounce a sentence or decision solemnly.^[12]
7. (pronominal) To declare oneself; to proclaim oneself as something.^[12][17]

Related words

• público
• Latin pūblicō

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 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. publicar
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. publicar
4. ^ a b Feijó, João de Morais Madureira (1734), Orthographia, ou Arte de escrever, e pronunciar com acerto a lingua portugueza, Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. publicar
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. publicar
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. pūblicāre
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. pūblicō
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. pūblicus
9. ^ 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. publicar
10. ^ 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, 262
11. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 524
12. ^ a b c d e Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. publicar
13. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 7589
14. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. publicar
15. ^ 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. publicar
16. ^ 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. publicar
17. ^ 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. publicar