A “cabra” of color or a mother’s “cabra”: meaning dynamics to “cabra” between the 16th and 19th centuries

Abstract

In this article we intent to analyze the meaning dynamics of the word “cabra”, largely used in Brazil between the 16th and 19th centuries to reference some indigenous and black people, under the condition of enslavement or not in that country, seeking to define the meaning of this word used in three kinds of documents: a slave donation deed (folios 109 verso and 110 recto) present at Livro de Notas do 2º Tabelliaõ Isaac Lange da Cunha; the Livro de Registros de Batizados da Paróquia Nossa Senhora Mãe de Deus (May 1837 to September 1838); and documents found in the thesis “Dar nome ao novo: uma história lexical da ibero-América, entre os séculos XVI e XVIII (as dinâmicas de mestiçagens e o mundo do trabalho)” by Paiva (2014). For this purpose, we based the research on Biderman’s (2001) lexicology lessons. Afterwards, we consulted Ferreira (2010), Bluteau (1728), Houaiss and Villar (2009), Moura (2004), and Moraes Silva ([1789]1813) dictionaries to verify and confront the meanings. This paper was also based on studies by Paiva (2014) and Malheiro (1867; 2014) regarding theoretical sources about slavery history, relating the lexical archive from the aforementioned manuscripts with the history and culture registered by them.