tomate

Forms

tomate m (plural tomates)^[1] Houaiss also records the adapted form tomata.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Wiktionary notes that the Nahuatl word meant the tomatillo, and that the tomato proper was xītomatl.^[1] Friederici quotes Molina's Nahuatl vocabulary, which glosses the first as a fruit used in stews in place of verjuice and the second as large red, yellow and white tomatoes.^[6]

The Spanish word is first recorded in 1532, in B. de Sahagún;^[7][8] Molina's vocabulary of 1571 still treated it as an Indian word.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss's first date, 1721, is the volume of Bluteau's Vocabulario that describes the fruit at length: the size of a small apple, smooth and shining, yellow turning to red, divided inside into cells full of small flat seeds.^[2][9] Cunha dates the word to the 18th century.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Morais (1789) calls it a common vegetable, Solanum pomiferum;^[10][11] Vieira (1871–1874) adds that it is used for sauces and is red when ripe.^[10][11] The word also names the plant, now usually tomateiro (recorded in 1836).^[2][3] In the plural it has meant the testicles since 1899, and by extension courage;^[2][12][13] ter tomates is “to have guts”.^[2][12][13] Houaiss also lists an informal sense “an exorbitant sum”.^[2] The word passed into Konkani.^[1]

Timeline

• 1532 – Spanish tomate in Sahagún.^[7]
• 1721 – Bluteau describes the fruit.^[2][9]
• 1789 – Morais calls it a common vegetable.^[10]
• 1836 – first record of tomateiro.^[3][14]
• 1899 – the sense “testicles” in the plural.^[2]
• 1899 – first record of atomatar.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. tomato, the red fruit of the tomateiro: Corta dois tomates para a salada.^{[2][5][15][1]}
2. The tomato plant, Solanum lycopersicum (Lycopersicum esculentum), also tomateiro.^[2][15][12]
3. (informal) A very high, exorbitant sum.^[2]
4. (vulgar, usually plural) The testicles; by extension, courage.^{[2][15][12][1]}

Word family

• tomateiro
• atomatar
• tomatada
• tomatinho

Related words

• Spanish tomate
• Classical Nahuatl tomatl

Usage notes

Cara de tomate or nariz de tomate is said of a very red face or nose.^[15][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. tomate
3. ^ a b c d e Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. tomate
4. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. tomate
5. ^ a b Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. tomate
6. ^ Friederici, Georg (1947), Amerikanistisches Wörterbuch, Hamburg: Cram, de Gruyter, p. 618
7. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 543
8. ^ a b Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. tomate
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. tomate
10. ^ a b c 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, 465
11. ^ 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. 5, 759
12. ^ a b c d e Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 9024
13. ^ a b Silva Bastos, José Timóteo da (1912), Diccionario etymologico, prosodico e orthographico da lingua portugueza, Lisboa: Parceria António Maria Pereira, p. s.v. tomate
14. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. tomateiro
15. ^ a b c d Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. tomate