vigoroso

Forms

vigoroso (feminine vigorosa, masculine plural vigorosos, feminine plural vigorosas, metaphonic)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Portuguese vigor + -oso.^[2][1][3][4] Older dictionaries derive it from Medieval Latin vigorosus instead: Vieira, Silva Bastos and Michaelis, as well as the DLE for Spanish vigoroso.^[5][6][7][8] Du Cange cites the Latin word from a medieval manuscript.^[9]

The base noun, recorded from the 15th century, is from Latin vigor (“vigour, energy”), formed on vigeō (“to thrive, flourish”).^[10][11][12]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cardoso's Portuguese–Latin dictionary of 1569 lists vigoroso and renders it with Latin vegetus “lively, vigorous”.^[13] Houaiss's first date is 1692 and Cunha's the 17th century.^[2][11] Bluteau quotes a Vida do Principe Eleytor for vigorosa substancia “vigorous constitution”.^[14]

Semantic evolution

From physical strength the word was extended to plants that grow with force, to moral energy and to actions done with force: Vieira gives vegetação vigorosa and the sense “done with vigour, of things”.^[5] The original Caldas Aulete adds the sense “effective, energetic” and examples of a vigorous accusation, defence or resistance.^[15] In the arts it describes drawing or painting with firm strokes and strong contrasts.^[15][4]

Timeline

• 1569 – Cardoso's dictionary lists vigoroso with Latin vegetus.^[13]
• 1692 – Houaiss's first date for the word.^[2]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau defines it as “strong, having vigour”.^[14]
• c. 1810 – a private letter writes vigoroza.^[16]
• 1813 – Morais gives “strong, robust”.^[17]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira records physical and moral vigour and vigorous vegetation.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Physically strong; robust, vigorous: um cavalo vigoroso.^[2][3][1]
2. Healthy and flourishing; lush, of plants and of youth.^[2][15]
3. Done or applied with force; full of energy: uma defesa vigorosa das suas ideias.^[2][3][1]
4. Conveying force and creative power; of a drawing or painting, marked by firm strokes and strong colour.^[2][15][4]

Word family

• vigorosamente

Related words

• vigor
• vigorar
• revigorar
• Spanish vigoroso

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 Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. vigoroso
3. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. vigoroso
4. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 9505
5. ^ 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, 947
6. ^ Silva Bastos, José Timóteo da (1912), Diccionario etymologico, prosodico e orthographico da lingua portugueza, Lisboa: Parceria António Maria Pereira, p. s.v. vigoroso
7. ^ 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. vigoroso
8. ^ 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. vigoroso
9. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre, p. s.v. vigorosus
10. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. vigor
11. ^ a b Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. vigor
12. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. vigor
13. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. vigoroso
14. ^ 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. vigoroso
15. ^ a b c d 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. vigoroso
16. ^ 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. vigoroso
17. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 852