mal cativo

Galician

Etymology

Attested since the 18th century. From mal (“sickness”) cativo (“little”), "[the] little sickness"

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmal kɑˈtiβʊ]

Noun

mal cativo m (plural males cativos)

1. (historical, pathology) an unidentified sickness (18th-19th centuries)
   • 1775, María Francisca Isla y Losada, Romance:

     Teño moitos calafrios,
     á quentura ben detràs,
     receo, si hè ò mal catìbo,
     Dios che me'arrede detàl.

     I have many shivers
     the fever rises just next
     I fear it is the mal cativo,
     God keeps me away from that

2. (folklore) a nervous sickness, thought to be caused by evil eye or other malediction
   1. (pathology, folklore) ataxia
   2. (pathology, folklore) syphilis

Usage notes

It is always preceded by the definite article o (or any of its alternative forms) so as to differentiate it from un mal cativo, "a little sickness".

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mal”, 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), “mal cativo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mal cativo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN