Towards a new Portuguese maritime dictionary - Lusonautica

Translation of old maritime texts presents particular problems, and over the years since 1983 I have searched for many obscure terms, often with little or no success. That is, even where the terms are listed, it is sometimes clear that the compilers of dictionaries have not a clue what they meant - Livro de Traças de Carpintaria produces quite a few such terms. The definitions are, shall we say, circular, if they occur at all. Finding an equivalent word or convenient short phrase in English is another matter, but will not concern Lusonautica as it does me.

Recent examples on Lusonautica have shown that we make more progress collaboratively than alone. (I have to drive 150 kms to a decent library, and that only has Morais' dictionary of the older general ones - modern ones are of course useless). I see that some English nautical dictionaries are now loaded to the web - not sure how completely or accurately, but they are there. I don't think they yet include some of the materials from 1600 +/- that are not actually dictionaries; but they do go back to c.1800.

Perhaps it is time, with modern technology and a considerable increase in the number of people working on these subjects, to do something about it. Let us not get too ambitious - the Society for Nautical Research has had a project for a nautical dictionary almost as long as it has existed. In the immediate future I just have in mind collecting addenda and corrections to the invaluable Leitão & Lopes' Dicionário da Linguagem de Marinha Antiga e Actual, especially as it is relatively easily available, since reprinting. My own copy of the 1974 edition is full of annotations.

Recently I finally despaired of the unhelpful arrangement of Carbonell Pico and produced a simple list of the terms that occur in it, with page numbers. (My copy has no index, but then it was salvaged, in unbound fascicles complete to page 704, from the Rua das Flores in Porto for 800 escudos: "would o senhor possibly be interested in…..?". There is no index, then ?). This I have already loaded to my website. Obvious additions would be earliest date and etymology; adding the meaning becomes a harder task, even in Portuguese; and there might be arguments about copyright. Ditto, the glossary of Quirino da Fonseca, A Caravela Portuguesa, though this is less useful, and various others. A file listing the contents of four such glossaries is also on the website.

I have also prepared a crude summary list of annotations for L&L, which I have pasted below in an unfinished state. Clearly this could in time be built into a full supplementary dictionary/commentary, if there is sufficient interest. I may periodically enhance this list, and offer to add to the list any material that others wish to provide (within reason). It is far from a complete collection: there are many notes scattered amongst translations. In so far as I do the work, it will include English.

The web is a mixed blessing: once loaded there is no real copyright protection either from individuals or the likes of predatory ISPs or Bill Gates. However, I foresee no great commercial value in English translations of obscure Portuguese nautical terms; nor much for anyone working directly in Portuguese. As a repository for us all, it could however become invaluable. The "list" is of course a large body of interested parties who know where material has come from. Back-up would be achieved by simple downloading, or e-mail of the updated file. I only propose a text file format at present - that is searchable, and should suffice; and can easily be added to and re-sorted. The Carbonell Pico list is comma-separated, so should be flexible. My ISP currently offers 50MB - more than "egroups", so while it remains an intellectual and non-commercial activity there should be no problems in hosting the file(s).

Please let me have your views on whether this has any merit - preferably off-list. (rabarker@clara.co.uk)

Richard Barker

2 September 00
 
 

Leitão & Lopes Addenda - Richard Barker - to July 2000

Additions, corrections, queries, etc
 
 

UNFINISHED PRELIMINARY DRAFT for discussion

See other files for completed glossaries; others are in hand.

Key:

AGM Oliveira: Arte da Guerra do Mar

Alpoim Exame de Artilheiros

Barros Décadas

Bom Despacho

Bom Soldado Tratado do que dever saber….Coimbra MS Bis 235-A; ArqHistMar, I, 1933-6

Boxer, de Sá

Correa

Dickson 1811

JLT

JPB Dr. João da Gama Pimentel Barata

Langhans

Lavanha Livro Primeiro da Architectura Naval

LFN Oliveira: Livro da Fábrica das Naus

LTC Livro de Traças de Carpinteria

ME Marques Esparteiro

ML

Monson Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, NRS, London

Morais Grande dicionário da lingua portuguesa

MP Fernão Mendes Pinto, Peregrinação…..

Navr

OLF Prof. Octávio Lixa Filgueiras

Palha MSS Harvard: collection of Dom António de Ataide
Taylor J.L.Taylor, Portuguese-English Dictionary, 1970 edition

Povoa de Varzim

QF Quirino da Fonseca, A Caravela Portuguesa

Rau

Smith John Smith, A Sea Grammar, London 1627

Técnica Relação entre as técnicas de construção naval…. Bol.Cult.de Póvoa de Varzim, Vol.VII, 1968

Traslado NS BD

Acatrate Remate superior das bordas (two meanings). JPB Técnica 1968 = gunwale

Acerto =Surmark JPB Técnica 1968

Acertar = align surmarks. JPB Técnica 1968

Pontes de acerto = os firmes (Povoa de Varzim - OLF/or JPB?)

Acotania (lona ??) AGM

Agulha =pica=crook timber (from withers, where shoulders meet …join backbone)

Albaçuz JPB Técnica 1968

Albasus JPB Técnica 1968

Alboi JPB Técnica 1968, two meanings

Alçado =drg: vertical projection ?

Alquieres 13 litres dry measure. Boxer, de Sá, 1952

Apostaréus Barros IV 727 -balwarte

Apostiças (?illlegible)

Arebeçados LTC see QF: Arrevessado

Astias = astilha. Traslado NS BD

Atezar Morais. = atesar, entesar

Baleu = Bailéu

Bancos JPB Técnica 1968

Barda Langhans I, 359

Basilisco Smith, and Monson IV, 5 inch 15 1/2 lbs, Turkish to 200 lbs stone.

Bita =abita ? LTC 4v

Boneca Bom Despacho 1630: stanchions to deck ?

Bordadura Bom Soldado: temporary w/tight bulwark in careening= washstrake ?

Boril LFN=buril. engraver's chisel

Bragueiro Morais: cabo de amarrar viram ao horizonte do mar o batel….MP Peregrinação.

Braza Alpoim: ballas em.. = brasa. Heated shot

Burel AGM. Coarse brown cotton sailcloth

Buril see Boril

Cachola do leme JPB Técnica

Cachola do mastro JPB Técnica

Cachorro Morais: peça saliente que serve para sustentar varanda, etc; Naut: cada uma das peças

Canada Morais ?? 1/12 almude, not 1/2 as L&L - check. Canada = 1.395 litres ?

Caravellois Langhans I, 353, "barqua…"

Carrasco normally Q.coccifera. In Oliveira as shipbuilding timber - possible archaic for olive

Carreira strake ? eg Bom Despacho 1631, JLT

Carreira river rapids=corredeira (JLT)

Carreira de construção see regeira

Carreira de entremicha bilge clamp ?

Carreiras slipways (JLT)

Casa, Caza LTC envezadura has vão de casa

Castanha =cleat

Cesta Langhans I, 359 re: yards

Chamaceira JPB Técnica

Charrua Rau, Coimbra. 1716: alte to nau, Brasil trade

Chumaceira do leme JPB Técnica

Chumaceira do cadaste JPB Técnica

Cintura Bom Soldado, careening

Cinzel = cizel LFN =chisel

Cizel see cinzel

Coceira LTC = couceira

Coçoiros JPB Técnica

Compressões Lavanha = contexture (of timber)

Cossouros JPB Técnica

Cordas =carling

Cordão ~ Beckford. Morais: black powder slow fuse

Corredeira see carreira

Couceira =spirketting ?

Couro =skin. AGM - for skin of human and ship

Couto =closed hand measure 10-11 cms (Azores: Morais)

Couto AGM 35. Side of ship from couto=refuge. In Lusiadas II 27

Curva de alça de papmoscas see papamoscas

Curva du buque (sic) Morais: takes mainstay collar: = gammoning knee ?

Curva de papamoscas see papamoscas = harpin or deck hook ?

Dormentes = deck clamp ?

Draga + LTC, in envezadura. Morais: dragas= escoras que se firmam no costado…em seco.

Emendas JPB Técnica- two meanings

Emteriças LTC, in envezadura [cf entremichas ?]

Enchimentos see also Lavanha [fn60] - V/half frames ?

Entremicha see Lavanha, and various JPB [cf: emteriças ?]

Envasadura Italian: invasatura - Crescentio. But cf Morais: from envasar/meter na

Enviada ML ?

Escoas de borda =stringer

Espera see V.dos Santos p33

Firmes pontes de acerto. JPB Tecnicas 1968

Galivar JPB Técnica - three meanings

Garfo AGM 35. Forks in timber (from garfo=grafts ?)

Gavea drawings in LTC

Grade also boarding netting

Grade standing ways ? LTC envezadura.

Grade de marés careening grid (ME). =Gridiron

Graminhar LFN 1898, p191ff

Inchumeia JPB Técnica

Machefemea LFN pintle/gudgeon

Maciço =mosissos LTC

Mangueira +Bom soldado - scupper leather, preventing flow to deck.

Mangueira de navio Rubim document 1521 - purchased Andalusia: the same ?

Matriz Morais: barco grande que no Douro….

But cf Dickson 1811: middle size see trafegueira

Mau de Judas LTC =beakhead stringers ? = apagulhar…illegible???

Mester AGM 34

Mosissos LTC = maciços

Mura LTC 3 = amura

Noenta LFN 1898, p157, Lavanha =knotty

Paixão Bom soldado, in careening

Papamoscas +JPB: "flyeaters" from gape with astonishment. See also curvas de~

Patarraz Bom soldado, in careening

Peais LTC in envezadura. Morais: (pl) cabos que atracam a enxarcia pela parte inferior das

Pendores + Correa VG 1502 Malindi: breu per o corregimento dos pendores

Pia do mastro JPB Técnica

Pipa ? L&L have comprimento=altura. =Diameter if tonelada is L=6pg, D=4pg

Pitipede LTC = scale (from Fr ?)

Poço +Bom soldado: the height of the waist ?

Polaca +Rau, Coimbra. Brasil, 17thC

Portinholas +Langhans I, p354. Size 5x2pg for beasts from Ribatejo ?

Pousaberga + Sp. See MM Vol.1, p28, 125, 186/8 etc

Pródigos do porão riders

Quarteada see vela quarteada

Rangel see regel

Regel +Lavanha = tuck

Regeira see carreira de construção.

Regeira =warp

Regeira + in LTC envezadura. (=modern: dog shore). Morais: escora que vai do encontro ao

Regueira see regeira

Roaste =codaste (Lavanha)

Romeyra AGM: a fruit tree

Safrão + Taylor: after part of wooden rudder (Brasil ?).

Serpentário ?? Ras Alagere= Ras alhague or Rasallague ??

Somea JPB Técnica

Souaro sovaro

Tamborete +LTC 7

Telho do mastro JPB Técnica-two meanings

Tesar JPB Técnica = tosar

Tilha JPB Técnica-various meanings

Tosar see Tesar

Trafegueira ?=/o

Trafegueiro =lighter for transhipping across rapids, etc. (Morais)

See Dickson 1811 for Douro.

Traineira rede de arrastar. But cf OLF = "seiner" ??

Trempe +3-log jangada (Taylor)

Vão de casa in LTC envezadura

Vasa = organic silt

Vaso in LTC envezadura

Vela quarteada Palha MSS. Unknown . Navr No9 has vela quadrada 18thC any square sail.

Voga arrancada + Barros 1946 IV 207 = remo apressado ??

RAB 24 July 00