The Canarian Word ‘Abacorar’: Meaning, Usage, and Etymology in La Gomera
The traditional speech of La Gomera is a linguistic treasure, full of unique words that reflect the island’s history and culture. One of the most fascinating is ‘abacorar’, a verb thoroughly examined by Encarnación Tabares Plasencia in her Vocabulario tradicional de La Gomera I[1].
What does ‘abacorar’ mean?
In La Gomera, ‘abacorar’ means to corner and immobilize someone or to press them against their will. It is used both literally and figuratively. For example, “Lo abacoró contra la mesa de la cocina y allí le metió la cuchara en la boca” describes forcing a child to eat by holding them still. Figuratively, it can mean that someone dominates or psychologically “immobilizes” another: “La tiene abacorada.”
The verb also encompasses nuances such as ‘to press’, ‘to intimidate’, ‘to overcome’, ‘to subdue’, and even ‘to mistreat’, according to records from other islands. However, in La Gomera, it is especially documented with the meanings of immobilizing or dominating[1].
Usage and Variants
While ‘abacorar’ is found in other parts of the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Palma), its use in La Gomera is distinctive and was not widely recorded before Tabares Plasencia’s research. Interestingly, a similar word exists in Cuba, meaning “to hug a person tightly against their will,” showing the Atlantic reach of this Canarianism.
Etymology: An Open Debate
The etymology of ‘abacorar’ is complex and debated among specialists. Some theories link it to the verb ‘acorar’ (‘to choke, to distress’), although the formation with both Latin prepositions ‘ad’ and ‘ab’ is unusual. Other hypotheses connect it to terms like ‘abacollar’ (to subdue, to trample) or to the Portuguese ‘bacora’ and ‘bácoro’ (young pigs), which ultimately derive from the Arabic bakí’tra (‘early’).
Tabares Plasencia finds it more plausible that ‘abacorar’ comes from the same root as ‘bacón’ and ‘albacora’, and that the meaning of “harassment” could be linked to the act of cornering pigs or tuna to catch them. Thus, the verb evolved to express the idea of pressing or dominating, both physically and psychologically[1].
Final Thoughts
The study of ‘abacorar’ highlights the richness and depth of Gomera’s traditional vocabulary, as well as the importance of etymology in understanding the true meaning and history of words. This Canarianism is a clear example of how island speech preserves and transforms words, giving them unique nuances and sometimes projecting them across the Atlantic.