esmagar

Attested in 1500 (Juan Esmagado).^[1] Probably a derivative with the prefix es-, from Latin ex-, of maga (“guts of fish”), from Proto-Germanic *magô (“stomach”) and cognate of English maw.^[2][3] Alternatively, linked to a Vulgar Latin *exmagāre, from Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan) or Proto-Germanic *maganą, as with Portuguese esmagar. Cf. also Spanish amagar.

• IPA^(key): /esmaˈɣaɾ/

esmagar (first-person singular present esmago, first-person singular preterite esmaguei, past participle esmagado)

1. to crush, press

   Synonyms: machucar, pisar

2. to squeeze

   Synonym: estrullar

3. (figurative) to oppress (politically or economically)

   Synonyms: asoballar, oprimir

   • 1812, Ramón Mariño Paz (ed.), Estudio fonético, ortográfico e morfolóxico de textos do prerrexurdimento galego (1805-1837). Santiago de Compostela: USC, page 168:

     todas esas gavelas con que nos esmagaban desde hai tanto tempo

     all those taxes with which they oppressed us since so long ago

• maga

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

Probably from Old Occitan esmaiar (compare also Old French esmaier), from Vulgar Latin *exmagāre (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from Latin ex- + *magāre (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”).

Compare Spanish amagar. Cognate with English dismay.

• Hyphenation: es‧ma‧gar

esmagar (first-person singular present esmago, first-person singular preterite esmaguei, past participle esmagado)

1. to crush (to overwhelm by pressure or weight)

• esmagador

• “esmagar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024