alentar

From Spanish alentar, as is Portuguese alentar.

• IPA^(key): [alenˈtaɾ], [alɛnˈtaɾ]

alentar (first-person singular present alento, first-person singular preterite alentei, past participle alentado)

1. (intransitive) to breathe

   Synonyms: bafexar, folguexar, respirar

2. (transitive) to encourage

   Synonym: animar

• alento

• “alentar” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “alentar” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “alentar” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).
• “alentar” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

From Spanish alentar.[1]

• Hyphenation: a‧len‧tar

alentar (first-person singular present alento, first-person singular preterite alentei, past participle alentado)

1. to encourage

• alento

• IPA^(key): /alenˈtaɾ/ [a.lẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: a‧len‧tar

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *alēnitare < *an(h)ēlitāre, derived from Latin anhēlitus (“breath”).

The diphthongization in rhizotonic conjugations (yo aliento) is etymologically unexpected, considering the Latin /ē/, but may have to do with analogy with other verbs ending in -entar, such as sentar. In that case, the diphtongization in Asturian alendar would perhaps be due to Castilian influence.

alentar (first-person singular present aliento, first-person singular preterite alenté, past participle alentado)

1. (transitive) to encourage, animate

   Synonym: animar

   Antonym: desalentar

   Hay que alentarla un poco.

   She needs a little cheering up.

   El oficial alentó a sus hombres.

   The officer encouraged his men.

   • 2021 May 3, Juan José Mateo, “De la libertad a las amenazas de muerte: seis instantes clave de la campaña más polémica”, in El País‎:

     Para Pablo Casado, el líder nacional del PP, también es una jornada importante. Si Díaz Ayuso triunfa y Ciudadanos no tiene representación, alentará la idea de que la reunificación de la derecha es posible a escala nacional.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (reflexive) to gather up one's courage

From a- +‎ lento (“slow”) +‎ -ar.

alentar (first-person singular present alento, first-person singular preterite alenté, past participle alentado)

1. (Latin America) to slow down, become slow

   Synonym: desacelerar

   Antonym: acelerar

2. (Mexico, reflexive) to become or behave as a shy, shameful or fearful person

   Synonym: amensarse

• Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1984) “alentar”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volumes I (A–Ca), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 142

• “alentar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014