Galician

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From á (to the) and mantenta, from Old Galician-Portuguese mantenente (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria).

Pronunciation

edit

Adverb

edit

á mantenta

  1. (archaic) immediately; incessantly
  2. intensely; extremely; strongly
    Mallaron nel á mantenta!
    They beat him up something awful!
    • 1295, Ramón Lorenzo, editor, La traducción gallega de la Crónica General y de la Crónica de Castilla, Ourense: I.E.O.P.F, page 875:
      Os mouros, quando virõ que tã poucos erã os cristãos que apos elles yam, derõ tornada a elles, et alj forõ os golpes muy grandes de lanças et d'espadas et de porras que se dauã a mantenente, que llis durou gran peça do dia.
      The Moors, when they saw that the Christians that were running after them were so few, came back to them, and there were such large blows of spears, and of swords, and of clubs, that they traded all the time/with all of their strengths, that this lasted for a large part of the day
  3. (figuratively) intentionally; purposely
    Fixéchelo á mantenta!
    You did that on purpose!

References

edit