Etymology: The Origins of the Words We Count
Have you ever wondered where the terms we use every day when writing a document come from? The history behind the vocabulary of writing is fascinating and dates back to classical antiquity.
Word
A palavra portuguesa "word" comes from the Vulgar Latin paraula, which in turn derives from the Classical Latin parabola (meaning "comparison," "discourse," or "allegory"). The latter word has roots in the Ancient Greek parabolē (parabolē), meaning "to place beside" or "to compare." Over the centuries, the term evolved from the concept of comparison to designate the basic unit of speech and writing.
Text
A origem de "text" comes from the Latin textus, which literally means "fabric," "weave," or "woven material." The term derives from the Latin verb texere ("to weave"). The analogy is both poetic and precise: just as individual threads are woven together to form cloth, words and sentences are woven together by the author to create a coherent work.
Character
O termo "character" (or character) comes from the Ancient Greek kharaktēr, a term used for the tool used to engrave, mark, or stamp coins and symbols. Later, it came to mean the engraved sign itself or the distinctive mark of something—giving rise both to the typographical characters we count and to the concept of human "character."