fidalgo

See also: Fidalgo

English

16th-century portrait of a young fidalgo

Etymology

From Portuguese fidalgo. Doublet of hidalgo.

Noun

fidalgo (plural fidalgos or fidalgoes)

1. (now historical) A Portuguese nobleman.
   • 2003, Peter Robb, A Death in Brazil, Bloomsbury, published 2005, page 25:

     The blacks and the bastards were so many and the honorable white fidalgos so few.

Further reading

• fidalgo on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Galician

O Fidalgo ("The Nobleman"), Xesús San Luís, 1925

Alternative forms

• fillodalgo

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese fidalgo, either a borrowing or a calque from Old Spanish fidalgo, shortened form from fi'd'algo (literally “son of wealth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiˈðalɣo̝/

Noun

fidalgo m (plural fidalgos)

1. (historical) the lowest rank of the nobility in the Kingdom of Galicia, corresponding to that of hidalgo in Castille
   • 1348, E. Cal Pardo, editor, Colección diplomática medieval do arquivo da catedral de Mondoñedo, Santiago: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 147:

     o dito Johan Fernandes de Bolanno commo homme fillodalgo feso menage enna mao de Fernan Peres de Çepeda por lo dito castello asy commo fase fidalgo a fidalgo

     the aforementioned Xoán Fernandez de Bolaño, as a nobleman, did homage to Fernán Pérez de Cepeda, because of the mentioned castle, as a nobleman does to another nobleman

   • 1417, M. Lucas Álvarez & P. Lucas Domínguez (eds.), El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos. Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro (Publicacións do Seminario de Estudios Galegos), page 585:

     que se el acordaua que vyra morar en a dita granja et pousa da Torre escudeyros et omes fidalgos et vilaaos, et que nunca eles nin alguos deles pagaron pedidos ne moedas ni outros trabutos alguus aos Reys de Castela.

     [...] that he remembered how he saw squires and noblemen and villeins dwelling in that farm and inn of the tower, and that never them or any of them paid petitions or taxes or any tribute to the Kings of Castille

Derived terms

• Fidalgo
• Fidalguía

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “fidalgo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “fidalgo”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “fidalgo”, 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), “fidalgo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

From filho (“son”) +‎ d' (“of”) +‎ algo (“something”), meaning "person of property/wealth". Cognate with Old Spanish fidalgo.

Noun

fidalgo m (plural fidalgos, feminine fidalga, feminine plural fidalgas)

1. nobleman
2. the lowest rank of the nobility in the Kingdom of Galicia

Descendants

• Galician: fidalgo
• Portuguese: fidalgo

Further reading

• Universo Cantigas - "fidalgo"

Old Spanish

Etymology

Contraction of fijo d'algo, literally "son of something / of wealth".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hiˈdalɡo/

Noun

fidalgo m

1. hidalgo
   • c. 1237, anonymous, Libro de los doce sabios, o Tratado de la nobleza y lealtad p. 87, (ed. by John K. Walsh, 1975, Madrid: Real Academia Española):

     Largo deve de ser el rey o prínçipe o regidor de reyno a los nobles e fidalgos e de buen linage e a los otros que bien obraren e alguna fazaña e nobleza de caballería fezieren o en otras cosas bien e lealmente lo sirvieren

     A king or prince or ruler of a kingdom must be generous with the nobles who are both hidalgos and of good descent, and to those who carry out good deeds and some feat or act of chivalry, or who in other aspects serve him well and loyally.

Descendants

• Spanish: hidalgo

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese fidalgo, shortened from fillo d'algo (literally “son of something”), meaning "person of property/wealth". Compare Spanish hidalgo (Old Spanish fidalgo).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /fiˈdaw.ɡu/ [fiˈdaʊ̯.ɡu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /fiˈdaw.ɡu/ [fiˈdaʊ̯.ɡu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /fiˈdaw.ɡo/ [fiˈdaʊ̯.ɡo]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fiˈdal.ɡu/ [fiˈðaɫ.ɣu]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -alɡu, (Brazil) -awɡu
• Hyphenation: fi‧dal‧go

Noun

fidalgo m (plural fidalgos, feminine fidalga, feminine plural fidalgas)

1. nobleman

Derived terms

• fidalgal
• fidalgaria
• fidalgarrão
• fidalgoso
• fidalgote
• fidalguia

 

Further reading

• “fidalgo”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2024