veemente

Forms

veemente m or f (plural veementes)^[1] The first record is the superlative vehementissimo (1589); the spelling with ⟨h⟩, vehemente, was usual into the 20th century and is still listed by Wiktionary.^[2][3][4][1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vehemēns (“violent, impetuous”), first recorded in 1589.^[2][3][1] Nascentes calls it a learned word.^[5] The same Latin adjective is Spanish vehemente, Galician vehemente, Catalan vehement, French véhément, Italian veemente and Romanian vehement.^[1][6] The noun veemência is much older in a popular form: the 13th century has Old Galician-Portuguese femença, from vehementia.^[7][8] Galician femenza "diligence, care" keeps that form.^[1]

The origin of the Latin word is disputed.^[9][1] The OLD takes it as an old participle of vehō (“to carry”), comparable to Sanskrit वहमान (váhamāna), and de Vaan lists it among the derivatives of that verb.^[9][10] Wiktionary cites the older analysis as the same verb with mēns (“mind”), "carried away in mind", and the alternative of Sihler and Lewis & Short, a prefix vē- (“out of”) with the noun.^[1][11] The DHLF also prefers that prefix, as a pejorative particle, with the noun for mind.^[12] Lewis & Short note the contracted form vēmēns.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Amador Arrais's Diálogos (1589), in the superlative: the Virgin was called a martyr por causa das dores veementíssimas que sofreu no coração em a morte de seu filho "because of the most vehement pains she suffered in her heart at the death of her son".^[2][13]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau (1712–1728) glosses vehemente "impetuous, violent", with tão Vehementes inimigos "such vehement enemies", and records the legal presumpçaõ vehemente and indicio vehemente, a strong presumption based on circumstances.^[4] The old Caldas Aulete has the word of pain, of a strong sign, of an orator or a style, and of an irritable temper.^[14] Modern dictionaries centre on intensity and energy: an impetuous feeling, a vigorous effort, warm applause, an earnest wish, a forceful speech.^[2][13]

Timeline

• 1589 – first record, in Amador Arrais's Diálogos.^[2][13]
• 17th century – Cunha's date for the spelling vehemente.^[3]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau records presumpçaõ vehemente.^[4]
• 1726 – Houaiss's record of vehemente.^[2]
• 1822 – vehemente in a private letter.^[15]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having impetuous force; intense, ardent: um ódio veemente.^[2][13][16]
2. Energetic, forceful, vigorous.^[2][13][17]
3. Warm, enthusiastic, fervent.^[2][13]
4. Eager, earnest: um pedido veemente.^[2][16]
5. Expressed with eloquence, combativeness and emotion: um protesto veemente.^[2][18]
6. (law) Of a presumption or sign: strong, well founded: indício veemente.^[4][14]

Word family

• veementemente

Related words

• veemência
• Latin vehemēns
• Spanish vehemente

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. veemente
3. ^ a b c Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. veemente
4. ^ a b c d Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. vehemente
5. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. veemente
6. ^ Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. vehemente
7. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. veemência
8. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. veemência
9. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. uehemens
10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. vehemens
12. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. véhément
13. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. veemente
14. ^ a b 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. veemente
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. veemente
16. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. veemente
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. veemente
18. ^ 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. veemente