PROBLEMA
Latin Lemma
problēma, -ătis from Gk πρόβλημα
Latin POS
N
Latin Meaning
question proposed for solution, a problem; enigma, riddle, puzzle L&S
Spanish
Spanish Lemma
problema
Spanish Variants
problemas
Spanish POS
Spanish Morphologically related words
problemática, problemáticamente, problematicidad, problemática, problematismo, problemático DLE
Ranking/frequency in Spanish
145 Davies 2017, 112 CDEWP
Spanish First attestation
» Asaz enxemplos a esto se podrían traer, verificando el problema, e tanto muestra su verdat la cotidiana experiençia, que non es menester mayor aprovaçión (CORDE: Enrique de Villena, Tratado de consolación, 1424)
Spanish Historical frequency (per million words)
| 13C: 0.00 | 14C: 0.00 | 15C: 1.26 | 16C: 4.50 | 17C: 2.70 | 18C: 10.17 | 19C: 56.72 | 20C: 523.17 | CDEGH | |
| 13C: 0.00 | 14C: 0.00 | 15C: 0.59 | 16C: 8.37 | 17C: 2.09 | 18C: 28.48 | 19C: 28.23 | 20C: 523.17 | 21C: 433.83 | Enclave |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21C: 503.97 | CORPESXXI |
| - | - | 1064-1500: 0.53 | - | 1501-1700: 4.00 | 1701-1800: 16.98 | 1801-1900: 51.14 | 1901-2005: 440.05 | - | CDH |
Spanish Semantic history
The medieval Spanish Biblical translations do not make the equivalence observed for Eng Wycliffite Early Version, preferring instead such renderings as razon, adeuinança, apuesta, proposiçion, rrenuçio: the Arragel Bible has enduze al tu marido commo nos absuelua la proposiçon (BM: Arragel, 1422-30). The corresponding section from E4 contains the extremely interesting form metaforizaçion: enganna atu marido & notifique nos la metaforizaçion (BM: 4, 13th cent.?).
» "something hiding the truth, enigmatic expression" 15C
Usemos de los poemas / tomando dellos lo bueno, / mas fuigan de nuestro seno / las sus fabulosas temas; / sus fiçiones y problemas / desechemos como espinas, / por aver las cosas dinas / ronpamos todas sus nemas. (CORDE: Juan de Mena, Coplas de los pecados mortales, before 1456)
» "general question to be solved (always associated with a question that is posed to which an answer is required, though not always a logical one)" 16C
Y assí, acercándome más a la solución del problema, digo que el calor y humidad de toda esta tierra mana y procede de differentes principios. (CORDE: Juan de Cárdenas, Primera parte de los problemas y secretos maravillosos de las Indias, 1591)
» "(mathematical) problem" 17C
y generalmente por esta práctica se medirán todas las distancias inaccessibles, que es problema universal, y escusa el individuar muchos casos particulares (CORDE: José Zaragoza, Fábrica y uso de varios instrumentos matemáticos, 1675)
» “difficulty to be overcome" 18C
[...] en fin, nació un problema pernicioso a la quietud de los reinos [...] (CORDE: Vicente Bacallar y Sanna, Comentarios de la guerra de España e historia de su rey Felipe V, El Animoso, mid-18C)
Spanish Collocational history
20C: Coocurrence with a wide range of ADJs at R1, most frequent of which are económico(s), social(es), político(s); with POSSADJ at L1; with resolver, tener at L1 CDEGH.
Portuguese
French
Italian
English
Cultural transmission
Problema and its congeners were almost certainly introduced into Western European intellectual discourse as a result of Bartolomeo da Messina’s 13th-century translation of the Problemata Aristotelis from Greek into Latin and the subsequent commentary (Expositio succinta Problematum Aristotelis, also in Latin) by Pietro d’Abano. The first attestation in French is Évrart de Conti’s translation of these two works.
French is regarded as the most apparent source for English use in Chaucer OED. However, in the contemporaneous first attestation in French, it is clear from the context that problemes is an equivalence of convenience which is far from integrated even into cultured written language, since it needs explanation as fortes questions, and it therefore seems probable that it was not yet current in French at the time.
It seems likely that in 20C a number of common collocations in Spanish and French (possessive + problema / problème, sin problema / pas de problème, problema / problème + adjective) are the result of calquing from English. TLF regards Fr il n’y a pas de problème (first attested 1963) as a calque from English.