unha

Forms

unha f (plural unhas)^[1] The medieval texts write unna, unlla and unha.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin ungula (“hoof, claw”), written Old Galician-Portuguese unna and Old Galician-Portuguese unlla in the oldest texts.^[2][3][1] Wiktionary sets a Vulgar Latin *ungla between them.^[1] The Latin word was formed as a diminutive of unguis (“fingernail, claw”), which it replaced in the Romance languages.^[2][5][6] Wiktionary notes that it is not clearly a diminutive in sense and may continue an old formation with an l-suffix.^[1]

The same Latin word is Galician uña, Spanish uña, Catalan ungla, French ongle, Italian unghia and Romanian unghie.^[7][1][8] Galician also has unlla.^[7]

The Latin noun for “nail” goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃negʰ- (“nail”), and its cognates include Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux) and Lithuanian nãgas.^[6][1] Nascentes explains the palatal ⟨nh⟩ by a chain ⟨*ungia⟩, ⟨*unlha⟩, with the palatal /ʎ/ assimilating the nasal before it, and notes that the short Latin ⟨u⟩ stayed /u/ because of the palatal.^[9][10] Beside the popular word Portuguese has the learned doublet úngula.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cantigas de Santa Maria speak of beasts que an as unnas fendudas “that have cloven hooves”, and of a poison that came out per so a unlla “from under the nail”.^[4][11] A cantiga d'escarnho of Fernan Soarez de Quinhones has enas unhas.^[12][4] So both the human nail and the hoof of animals are there from the start.^[4][11]

Semantic evolution

Barbosa (1611) separates unha of the fingers, Latin unguis, from unha dos animaes, Latin ungula, and names the plant unha de asno “coltsfoot”.^[13] Vieira records the phrases fugir a unhas de cavallo “to flee at full gallop”, ser unha e carne “to be inseparable”, untar as unhas “to bribe” and metter a unha “to overcharge, to steal”.^[14]

From the shape the word was applied to the claw of a hammer, the fluke of an anchor, a spit of sand running into the sea or a river, and the narrow base of some petals; from the gripping claw come “power, control” (estar nas unhas de) and the sense “miser”.^[2][15] The word passed into Papiamentu as huña.^[1]

Timeline

• 13th century – unnas and unlla in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[4][11]
• 14th century – Cunha's date for unna.^[3]
• 1611 – Barbosa distinguishes unha of the fingers from unha dos animaes.^[13]
• 17th century – first records of unhada “scratch” and of the learned úngula.^[3]
• 18th century – first record of unhar “to scratch”.^[3]
• 1813 – first record of unheiro “whitlow”.^[3]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira records ser unha e carne and untar as unhas.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A nail, fingernail or toenail, the hard plate of keratin on the tip of the fingers and toes: cortou as unhas rente.^[2][15][1]
2. The hoof of hoofed animals, or the claw of birds and cats; úngula.^[2][15]
3. The claw of a hammer (martelo), or the curved or pointed end of other tools and objects.^[2][16]
4. A gall on the back of a pack animal, caused by the harness.^[2][15]
5. A spit of sand running out into the sea or a river.^[2]
6. (botany) The narrow lower part of some petals.^[2][17]
7. (figurative) A miser.^[2]
8. (in the plural) Power or control over someone: caiu nas unhas dos credores.^[2][17]

Word family

• unhada
• unhar
• unheiro

Related words

• úngula
• ungulado
• ungueal
• únguis
• Latin ungula
• Galician uña

Usage notes

Common phrases include ser unha e carne “to be inseparable”, com unhas e dentes “tooth and nail”, à unha “by hand, by force” and a unha de cavalo “at full speed”.^[14][2][18] In Rio Grande do Sul estar na unha means to be penniless.^[18]

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. unha
3. ^ a b c d e f g Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. unha
4. ^ a b c d e 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. unna
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. ungula
8. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 715
9. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. unha
10. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1955), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, vol. 1: Nomes comuns, Rio de Janeiro (1st ed. 1932, preface by W. Meyer-Lübke), p. 515
11. ^ a b c 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. unlla
12. ^ Universo Cantigas: Glosario da poesía medieval profana galego-portuguesa, A Coruña: Instituto da Lingua e Literatura (ILLA), Universidade da Coruña, https://www.universocantigas.gal, p. s.v. unha
13. ^ a b Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. unha
14. ^ a b c 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, 858
15. ^ a b c d Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. unha
16. ^ 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. unha
17. ^ a b Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 9307
18. ^ a b Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. unha