Port. lanchara/lancha, Sp. lancha, It. lancia ‘barca leggeraʼ e voci correlate

Abstract

The article deals with four types of 16th/17th-century Romance boat-terms: (1) Port. lanchara ‘a kind of small rowing boatʼ, known in South-East Asia since the early 16th century, from Malay lanǧaran (< lanǧar ‘to pass, proceed swiftly, quicklyʼ); (2) Port. lancha , a shortened variant of lanchara , which originated in Portuguese (1553) and then also passed into Italian (1561), Spanish (1577) and French (1621); (3) Port./Sp. lantea ‘a small galleyʼ, used in the 16th century in Chinese contexts, of uncertain origin (maybe it is derived by metonymy from Malay lantei / lantai ‘floorʼ, lantai perahu ‘bottom of the shipʼ, or from Chinese ling-t'ing ‘a small boatʼ), and (4) It. lentino and Port. lan chuem ‘a small Chinese boat used by people of rank or used to transport people of rankʼ, which go back to Chinese ling-t'ing (with its variant lang t'eng ).