cousa

Asturian

Noun

cousa f (plural couses)

1. Alternative form of cosa

Galician

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese cousa, from Latin causa. Doublet of causa, a borrowing. Cognate with Portuguese coisa and Spanish cosa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkows̺ɐ]

Noun

cousa f (plural cousas)

1. thing
2. nothing (in negative sentences)

   Diso que me di non sei cousa. ― I know nothing about what you're asking.

3. event
4. swear word; abusive or insulting epithet

   Estaban aló no medio da praza chamándose cousas. ― They were both in the middle of the square calling each other names.

Derived terms

• algunha cousa
• calquera cousa

Related terms

• causa

References

• “cousa” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “cousa” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “cousa” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “cousa” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “cousa” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Etymology 2

Verb

cousa

1. inflection of cousir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Latin

Participle

coūsa

1. inflection of coūsus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Participle

coūsā

1. ablative feminine singular of coūsus

Mirandese

Noun

cousa f (plural cousas)

1. thing

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Medieval Latin causa (“thing”), from Classical Latin causa (“cause, reason”). Cognate with Old Spanish cosa and Old French chose.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkow.z̺a/

Noun

cousa f

1. thing
   • 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, To codex, cantiga 423 (facsimile):

     Eſta primeira é de comel fez ó çeo. ⁊ á terra. ⁊ ó mar ⁊ o ſol. ⁊ á lũa. ⁊ as eſtrelas ⁊ todalas outras couſas q̇ ſon. ⁊ como fez ó ome áſa ſemellança

     This first one is (about) how He made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and everything else that exists. And how (He) made man in His own likeness.

Descendants

• Fala: coixa, coixha
• Galician: cousa
• Portuguese: coisa, cousa (dated) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• Universo Cantigas - "cousa"
• “cousa” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “cousa” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese cousa, inherited from Latin causa (“cause, reason”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈko(w).zɐ/ [ˈko(ʊ̯).zɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈko(w).zɐ/ [ˈko(ʊ̯).zɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈko(w).za/ [ˈko(ʊ̯).za]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈko(w).zɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈko(w).zɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkow.zɐ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈko.zɐ/

• Homophones: cosa, coza, colza (Brazil)
• Rhymes: -owzɐ, -ozɐ
• Hyphenation: cou‧sa

Noun

cousa f (plural cousas)

1. Dated form of coisa.
   • 1595, Luís Vaz de Camões, Rimas, “Transforma-se o amador na cousa amada”:

     Transforma-se o amador na cousa amada

     The lover becomes the thing he loves