Etymological Dictionary of Spanish (OEDoS)

cansar (Verb) "to tire" 11th cent. From Latin campsare "to avoid." Probably borrowed from Ancient Greek κάμψαι (kámpsai) "to be bent," "to be sailed around;" the aorist infinitive of κάμπτειν (kámptein) "to bend," "to curve." Of unknown origin, probably borrowed from a non-Indo-European language. Probably from the same origin of campo. Indo-European Romance Asturian cansar, Portuguese cansar, Galician cansar, Catalan cansar, Italian cansare Penny (2002) notes that cansar is a particularly interesting archaism in Spanish. Because the Romans entered the Iberian peninsula and began the process of Latinization at such an early date (~3rd cent. BCE), the Latin dialect of the peninsula inherited a number of archaic vocabulary terms. Cansar is one such item, not found in Latin literature after the 2nd cent. BCE but evidently preserved in the dialect of Latin to become Spanish. Beekes, R. S. P. Etymological Dictionary of Greek. BRILL. 2014. Corominas, J. & J. Pascual. Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e híspanico. 6 vols. Madrid: Gredos. 1991-1997. Penny, R. J. A History of the Spanish Language. Cambridge University Press. 2002. Real Academia Española. Diccionario de la lengua española. Online. 23rd ed. Madrid: Espasa Calpa. 2014. http://www.rae.es/. Sihler, A. New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin. Oxford University Press. 2008.

Final updates in preparation for a particularly large data update coming at the end of the month.

The Online Etymological Dictionary of Spanish is a free etymological dictionary of the Spanish language launched on August 6, 2016. An etymology is not a definition but a history of a word over time. This site provides an account of the development of the Spanish language as best as historical linguists are able to ascertain in a way that is accessible both by laymen and academics. If you enjoy using this dictionary, please consider donating to help keep this site alive.

Word of the Day

12 August 2019 - Update 3.92

Welcome