The Reconquista also offers a plausible explanation. However, the Portuguese discoveries only started in 1415, and since the word has been found in earlier texts, this does not constitute a very good explanation. Those who stayed behind-mostly women and children-suffered deeply in their absence. Some specialists argue that the word may have originated during the Great Portuguese Discoveries, expressing and giving meaning to the sadness felt about those who departed on journeys to unknown seas and often disappeared in shipwrecks, died in battle, or simply never returned. The word saudade was used in the Cancioneiro da Ajuda (13th century), in the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and by poets of the time of King Denis of Portugal (reigned 1279–1325).

Saudade ultimately derives from the Latin solitās, solitātem, meaning 'solitude'. Why are units of measurement singular in compound adjectives, e.g.The distant lands of the Portuguese Empire made a special longing for the loved ones of explorers and sailors Why don't some contractions work in certain places? That is, why can't we answer the question 'Is she coming?' with 'Yes, she's'? Why do I sometimes see are with company or team names, as in 'Apple are announcing a new iPhone'? Why do I sometimes hear constructions like needs washed or needs looked at? Is it 'between you and me' or 'between you and I'? How do I indicate possession when something belongs to two people? Should I use a or an before this word, acronym, or initialism?

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What is another word for sad