cerca

See also: cercá, cercà, and çerca

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin circa.

Adverb

cerca

1. near

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.kə/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛr.kə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.ka/

Etymology 1

Deverbal from cercar.

Noun

cerca f (plural cerques)

1. search
2. Clipping of cercapersones (“pager”).

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cerca

1. third-person singular present indicative form of cercar
2. second-person singular imperative form of cercar

Further reading

• “cerca” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “cerca” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Galician

Etymology 1

14th century. Probably a back-formation from Old Galician-Portuguese cercar (“to wall; to enclose”), from Late Latin circāre, present active infinitive of circō; or from a Vulgar Latin circa (compare Spanish cerca, northern Italian cerca, French cerce), from the feminine of Latin circus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθeɾka̝/, (western) /ˈseɾka̝/

Noun

cerca f (plural cercas)

1. fence; enclosure

   Synonyms: cercado, peche, valado

2. (dated) wall

   Synonyms: muralla, muro

3. siege

   Synonyms: asedio, cerco

Derived terms

• Cerca

Related terms

• cerco
• cercado

Etymology 2

From Latin circa.

Preposition

cerca

1. near

   Synonym: preto

Derived terms

• acerca de
• cerca de

References

• “cerca” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “cerca” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “cerca” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “cerca” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “cerca” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay cerca, from Sanskrit चर्चा (carcā, “discussion, talk, inquiry, trouble”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃər.t͡ʃa/
• Hyphenation: cêr‧ca

Noun

cêrca (first-person possessive cercaku, second-person possessive cercamu, third-person possessive cercanya)

1. insult, scorn

Derived terms

• cercaan
• mencerca
• mencercai
• secerca

 

Further reading

• “cerca” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃer.ka/
• Rhymes: -erka
• Hyphenation: cér‧ca

Etymology 1

From cercare.

Noun

cerca f (plural cerche)

1. search

   Synonym: ricerca

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cerca

1. inflection of cercare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• cerca in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• cerca in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• cerca in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• cerca in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• cerca in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• crace

Latin

Etymology

Taken from Old Catalan cerca, itself from Vulgar Latin *circa (“surrounding structure”). Attested in the single mid-11th century Catalan document quoted below. Note the ⟨e⟩ for etymological Latin /ĭ/ as well as how it is paired with ⟨manedas⟩, another Romance word derived ultimately from Latin manēre through a Vulgar Latin *manita, showing both /ĭ/ > /e/ and /-t-/ > /d/.

Noun

cerca f (genitive cercae); first declension (Medieval Latin, hapax)

1. moat, defensive enclosure
   • 1041, Santa Cristina d'Aro, Marcæ Hisp. col. 1083 :

     Notum sit omnibus hominibus qualiter Domina Ermisendis Comitissa, et Dominus Petrus Rodegarii Gerundensis Episcopus, atque Gaufredus Vitalis cum uxore sua Chixol, Domnus quoque Landricus sancti Felicis Guixalensis Abbas cum monachis suis, convenere ad Ecclesiam sanctae Christinae Vallis-aradi; ubi statuentes et disponentes utrique ordinaverunt quomodo illum castrum appelatum Benedormiens ab omnibus eisdem in commune aedificatum custodiretur a militibus, vel peditibus per diem et noctem omni tempore; ut omnes homines a Colonico usque ad Monasterium sancti Felicis cohabitantes absque ulla paganorum infestatione manere possent. Facta vero dispositione sive ordinatione praefati castri, dixerunt ad invicem nihil suarum rerum alicuae laicae personae causa custodiendi castrum dari nisi tali personae qui nullam calumniam praeter ab illis constitutam honori vel hominibus suis immittere praesumeret. Unde non parva dissona verba referentes, sedatis jam omnibus, idem castrum cum omnibus quae ad illud custodiendum pertinent, dederunt in jus, et potestatem sancti Felicis monasterii Guixalensis, Landrici Abbatis et monachorum ejus, atque omnium successorum suorum tradiderunt in perpetuum habiturum per hanc seriem verborum sic insequentem: 'In nomine Dei summi. Ego Ermissendes Comitissa, et ego Petrus Rodegarii Gerundensis Episcopus donamus Deo, sanctoque Felici monasterio Guixalensi et omnibus Abbatibus vel monachis in perpetuum ibi habitantibus cunctas decimas et primitias vel universa alia quae nos habemus et habere debemus, vel possumus, aut aliquis homo per nos infra parrochiam sanctae Christinae vallis Aradi cum eodem castro Benedormientis solide sine ullo retentu, cum exitibus, et ingressibus suis, ad custodiendum praedictum castrum ab ipso portu de Pinel usque ad portum de Castellar, sicut ipsa via exiens a monasterio, et vadens per ipsas Canellas, et per planum vel collum sancti Pauli, usque ad parrochiam sanctae Mariae de Fanales per directum pergens determinat in rivum Aradi, et sic descendit ab ipsa via praedicta in omnibus locis usque in mare, et de nostro jure, vel sanctae Christinae in jus et dominium sancti Felicis, et omnium hominum ibi in perpetuum habitantium tradimus. Sic et ego praenominatus Gaufredus Vitalis, et ego uxor ejus Chixol donamus Domino Deo et sancto Felici monasterio Guixalensi omne illud alodium, quod nos habemus in parrochia sanctae Christinae vallis Aradi ab ipso portu de Pinel usque ad praedictum castrum cum decimis et primitiis praefati alodii, praedictum quoque castrum, cercas et manedas suas, sicut illa via quae ducit vel exit a monasterio, vadit per Canellas et per planum vel collum sancti Pauli contra Fenals, per directum determinat in rivum Aradi, et sic descendit ab ipsa via praedicta in omnibus locis usque ad mare, et omnes cercas, et manedas quas nos dedimus ad praedictum castrum custodiendum; tam in mari quam in domibus nostrorum hominum infra parrochiam sanctae Christinae vel sanctae Mariae Fenals habitantium, ut Abbas praefati loci semper faciat custodire praefatum castrum, et de nostro jure in potestatem sancti Felicis tradimus, et dominium sine ullo retentu.' Siquis contra hanc scripturam venerit ad irrumpendum, vel defraudandum, non valeat perficere, sed praedicta omnia in duplo componat sancto Felici praefato. Actum est hoc VII Kal. Junii anno decimo Henrici Regis...

     Let it be known to all how Countess Ermessenda, bishop of Girona Pere Roger, Gaufred Vidal along with his wife Quíxol, and abbot Llandric of the Monastery of St. Felix of Guíxols, along with his monks, gathered at the Church of St. Cristina of Aro, where they came to an agreement on ordering the castle called Benedormiens, which was jointly built by the aforementioned individuals, to be garrisoned by knights or infantrymen, night and day at all hours, so that everyone living in the area from Calonge to the Monastery of St. Felix of Guíxols could live free of any Saracen raiding. Once this arrangement for the aforementioned castle was made, they declared to each other that they would not give any of their possessions to a lay person for the protection of the castle, unless it be to a person who would not presume to besmirch their honor or their men. Once everything was settled, after considerable debate on the matter, they transferred the castle, along with everything needed for its defence, to the possession of the Monastery of St. Felix of Guíxols, of Abbot Llandric and his monks, and of all their successors in perpetuity, by speaking the following words: 'In the name of almighty God, I, Countess Ermessenda, and I, bishop of Girona Pere Roger, give to God, to the Monastery of St. Felix of Guíxols, and to all the abbots or monks dwelling therein all the tithes and first fruits in perpetuity, or anything else that we possess and [anything that] we should possess, or can possess, or that another man [possesses] through us, in the parish of St. Cristina of Aro, along with the aforementioned castle of Benedormiens in its entirety, not keeping any of it for ourselves, along with its exits and entrances, so that they may protect the aforementioned castle from the port of Pinell to the port of Castellar, along the road that begins from the monastery and passes through Canellas and the plane or hill of St. Paul, to the parish of St. Mary of Fenals, continues straight to the river Ridaura, and descends from the aforementioned road along all the places to the sea. And we transfer [all this] from our possession, or that of [the Church of] St. Cristina, to the possession of [the Monastery of] St. Felix and everyone residing therein in perpetuity. Likewise I, the aforementioned Gaufred Vidal, and I, his wife Quíxol, give to God and to the Monastery of St. Felix of Guíxols all the property that we own in the parish of St. Cristina of Aro, from the port of Pinell to the aforementioned castle, along with all the tithes and first fruits of the aforementioned property, as well as the aforementioned castle, along with its enclosures and habitations, along the road that begins from the monastery, passes through Canellas and the plain or hill of St. Paul, opposite Fenals, reaches an end at the river Ridaura, and descends from the aforementioned road along all locations to the sea and to all the enclosures and habitations that we are handing over for the protection of the aforementioned castle, along the sea as well as among the homes of our men living in the parishes of St. Cristina or St. Maria of Fenals, so that the abbot of the aforementioned place may always have the castle protected, and we transfer [all the above] from our possession to that of [the Monastery of] St. Felix, keeping none of it for ourselves.' If anyone should venture to violate this agreement, may he fail to do so, and may he atone for it by handing over twice as much property to the aforementioned [Monastery of] St. Felix. [This document was] drawn up on the 26th of May in the tenth year of [the reign of] King Henry [of France]...

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʲerka/

Noun

cerca

1. nominative and vocative and accusative plural of cerc

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cerca	cherca	cerca pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Portuguese

cerca

Etymology 1

Deverbal from cercar (“surround”), or from Old Galician-Portuguese cerca (“surround”), from a Vulgar Latin *circa (compare Spanish cerca, northern Italian cerca, French cerce), from the feminine of Latin circus.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseχ.kɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseɻ.ka/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: cer‧ca

Noun

cerca f (plural cercas)

1. fence (barrier)

   Synonyms: sebe, cercadura, grade

Derived terms

• cerquilha

Related terms

• cercania
• cerco

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin circa.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈseʁ.kɐ/ [ˈseχ.kɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈseɻ.ka/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: cer‧ca

Adverb

cerca

1. around, approximately [+ de (object)]

Derived terms

• cerca de

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈsɛh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈsɛh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈsɛχ.kɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɻ.ka/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: cer‧ca

Verb

cerca

1. inflection of cercar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Related terms

• cercado

Further reading

• “cerca” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “cerca” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “cerca” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2023.
• “cerca” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “cerca” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

From Late Latin circāre, present active infinitive of circō, from Latin circa, circus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃerˈka/

Verb

a cerca (third-person singular present cearcă, past participle cercat) 1st conj. (archaic)

1. to examine, inspect, analyze, study
2. to search, ask, take interest in

Conjugation

    conjugation of cerca (first conjugation, no infix)

infinitive			a cerca
gerund			cercând
past participle			cercat
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	cerc	cerci	cearcă	cercăm	cercați	cearcă
	imperfect	cercam	cercai	cerca	cercam	cercați	cercau
	simple perfect	cercai	cercași	cercă	cercarăm	cercarăți	cercară
	pluperfect	cercasem	cercaseși	cercase	cercaserăm	cercaserăți	cercaseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să cerc	să cerci	să cerce	să cercăm	să cercați	să cerce
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		cearcă			cercați
	negative		nu cerca			nu cercați

Synonyms

• cerceta, căuta, examina, analiza, studia

Derived terms

• cercare
• cercător

Related terms

• cerc
• cerceta
• încerca

 

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /ˈθeɾka/ [ˈθeɾ.ka]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /ˈseɾka/ [ˈseɾ.ka]

• Audio (Latin America)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾka
• Syllabification: cer‧ca

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin circā (“around”) (whence also English circa), from earlier Latin circum.

Adverb

cerca (superlative cerquísima)

1. close, near, around, about, nearly, nigh (referring to quantity or time-related)
2. close, near, around, nigh, at hand, close at hand, in sight (spatially)
3. nearby, close by

Antonyms

• lejos

Derived terms

• acerca
• acercar
• cerca de
• cercanía
• cercano
• cerquita
• de cerca (“closely, close up, at close quarters; first-hand”)
• de cerca
• más de cerca (“more closely”)
• tocar de cerca (“to hit close to home, to be close to one's heart”)
• ver de cerca (“to see up close”)

 

Etymology 2

From cercar, or from Old Spanish cerca, from a Vulgar Latin *circa (compare Portuguese cerca, northern Italian cerca, French cerce), from the feminine of Latin circus.

Noun

cerca f (plural cercas)

1. fence (a thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or a house perimeter)

   Synonyms: valla, verja

2. stone wall

   Synonym: (Mexico) barda

Related terms

• cercar
• cerco

 

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cerca

1. inflection of cercar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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