estopa

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1281. From Latin stuppa (“tow”), from Ancient Greek στύππη (stúppē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈtopa̝/

Noun

estopa f (plural estopas)

1. tow (coarse fibre obtained as a crossproduct during flax processing)
   • 1281, Clarinda de Azevedo Maia (ed.), História do galego-português. Estado linguístico da Galiza e do Noroeste de Portugal do século XII ao século XVI (com referência á situação do galego moderno). Coimbra: I.N.I.C., page 133:

     Mando o fiado daſ eſtopaſ que teño debaado a Maria Suarez τ a Tereyga τ Maria Martinz.

     I give the tow yarn I have reeled to María Suarez and Tereixa and María Martís"

   • c. 1295, R. Lorenzo, editor, La traducción gallega de la Crónica General y de la Crónica de Castilla, Ourense: I.E.O.P.F, page 856:

     Et osmarõ de fazer hũa balsa(ma) tamaña que atrauessasse o rrio de parte a parte, et que a enchessem toda de (b)ollas et de tinaias chẽas de fogo greguisco -et dizenllj en arauigo fogo d'algadrã - et rezina et pez et estopas

     They considered whether to build a raft, long enough to cross the river from side to side, and to fill it with balls and jars filled with Greek fire -which in Arab is called "fire of algadrán"- and resin and tar and tow

   • 1519, X. Ferro Couselo, editor, A vida e a fala dos devanceiros, Vigo: Galaxia, page 222:

     debo á muller de Vasco de Fonteelo una meada de liño e á Tereixa Gata quatro maçarocas destopa e a María d'Eygreja tres maçarocas

     I owe a skein of flax to Vasco de Fontelo's wife, and to Tereixa Gata four spindlefuls of tow and to María da Eigrexa three spindlefuls

   • 1813, Manuel Pardo de Andrade, Rogos dun escolar gallego:

     O feitizo está nos ollos
     dua nena de Padron:
     as nenas tamen feitizan
     à os cregos da inquisicion.
     Garridiñas, nos chegedes
     a os que manexan tizós,
     que a estopa cabe do fogo
     e vos ua tentacion.

     the charm is in the eyes
     of a girl form Padrón:
     the girls also charm
     the priests of the Inquisition.
     Beautiful ladies, don't come near
     the ones who handle the brand,
     because the tow by the fire
     it's too much of a temptation.

   • 1887, Rufino Ribera Losada, O que son os casamentos pola nova:

     algún caído en trelos desa natureza tamén compara co lume á beira das estopas.

     some who have fallen in these kind of affairs [romantic love] compare them to the fire by the tows

   O home é lume e a muller estopa; vén o demo e sopra. ― Man is flame, woman is tow; along comes the devil to blow. (proverb)

2. (nautical) oakum (fibrous caulking material)

Derived terms

• poñer lume á estopa

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “estopa”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “stopa”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “estopa”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “estopa”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “estopa”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese estopa, from Latin stuppa, from Ancient Greek στύππη (stúppē). Compare Spanish estopa and French étoupe.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈtɔ.pɐ/, /esˈtɔ.pɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈtɔ.pɐ/, /esˈtɔ.pɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /iʃˈtɔ.pɐ/, /eʃˈtɔ.pɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /esˈtɔ.pa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃˈtɔ.pɐ/

• Hyphenation: es‧to‧pa

Noun

estopa f (plural estopas)

1. tow (an untwisted bundle of fibers)
2. (nautical) oakum (fibrous caulking material)

Derived terms

• não meter prego nem estopa

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish estopa, from Latin stuppa, from Ancient Greek στύππη (stúppē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈtopa/ [esˈt̪o.pa]
• Rhymes: -opa
• Syllabification: es‧to‧pa

Noun

estopa f (plural estopas)

1. tow (an untwisted bundle of fibers)
2. (nautical) oakum (fibrous caulking material)

Further reading

• “estopa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10