# amica



## Löwenfrau

Hello!

The word "amica", does it have both meanings of "friend (of the feminin gender)" and "girlfriend" (as a girl one is dating, in love with, etc.)?

The context is: "Amica critice linguae, sed magis amica, veritas, – lieb ist mir die Kritik der Sprache, noch lieber die Wahrheit, die wir freilich sowenig kennen wie irgend eine andere Freundin." Fritz Mauthner
the part in German: "I like/ I love critique of language, I like/love even more the truth, which we certainly know as much as we know any other [girl]friend]".
I have to translate the German phrase into Portuguese, but the words for friend or girlfriend in Portuguese are quite different, unlike in German, in which one can play with ambiguities or at least don't be so explicit. I believe the author is playing here with the gender of the words _Kritik der Sprache _and _Wahrheit_, both feminines, and that when he say "which we certainly know as much as we know any other [girl]friend, he is making an allusion to the idea "I don't understand women", or "women are a mystery".
Knowing the connotations of the Latin word will help me deciding.
Thanks a lot in advance!


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## Scholiast

Salvete amici!

The quick answer is, "yes", _amica_ will be either a "girlfriend" or a "girl friend". There's plenty in L&S to support this, so much indeed that I cannot easily reference it all.

Curious, isn't it, how German _Freundin_ reflects the same ambiguity?

But the question here is really about the nuances of the word for Mauthner, and maybe an enquiry in the German forum might therefore be more fruitful.

I do speak German though, and my feeling here is that Mauthner is being ever so slightly flirtatious or sexually suggestive with his language, and so in the translation into Portuguese, I'd suggest you reflect that if you can.

Good luck,

Σ


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## Löwenfrau

Thanks for your answer, Scholiast.

Yes, it is curious about German "Freundin". Something similar happens in English too (but less), for example, a girl can refer to a female friend as "girlfriend" (it's not usual, but possible).

And yes, I've been discussing it in the German forum, I just thought that knowing the possible meanings of the Latin word would confirm or not the sexual tone of the passage. Now I feel more confident to go in this direction.

I'm considering using "lady". (Port. "dama").

Thanks again!


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## Scholiast

Salve iterum!

Yes, "la dama" verspricht viel.

Echoes of Latin _domina_, which can also convey the amorous sense of "mistress" in English, but need not - "lady" as a specimen of _das ewig weiblche_ too. I think you have it.

All good wishes,

Σ


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## fdb

You are aware, I trust, that Mauthner is playing with the famous saying attributed (wrongly) to Aristotle: amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas. In English we would say: “Plato is my friend, but Truth is more of a friend”, or, more idiomatically: “I love Plato, but I love the truth more”. The gender of amicus and amica is determined by that of Plato and veritas respectively.


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## fdb

Löwenfrau said:


> The context is: "Amica critice linguae, sed magis amica, veritas, – lieb ist mir die Kritik der Sprache, noch lieber die Wahrheit, die wir freilich sowenig kennen wie irgend eine andere Freundin." Fritz Mauthner
> the part in German: "I like/ I love critique of language, I like/love even more the truth, which we certainly know as much as we know any other [girl]friend]".



And of course you mean not "as much" but "as little" (sowenig).


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## Löwenfrau

Yes, I mean "as little", thanks for pointing that out. (it's a confusion that comes from my mother tongue).

I didn't realize the reference, fdb, and I thank to you and manfy (in the German forum) for pointing that out.
But still: the fact that he is parodying Aristotle's sentence, that doesn't mean he can't be somehow twisting its direction. He didn't say "Plato", this already points to a parody: he is not simply quoting it. It is possible that he is twisting it in a gender direction, isn't?


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## Löwenfrau

> amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas.; amica critice linguae, sed magis amica, veritas



A question: the subjects are _Plato_, _veritas_, and _critice lingua_, correct? So, it's not "I am friend of Plato", etc., but "Plato is my friend", correct?


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## fdb

Yes, “Plato”, “amicus”, “critice”, “amica”, "veritas" are all in the nominative case.


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