Notorio

[poli]

As an English speaker notorious means infamous, ignominious, well-known bad reputation.
I found out today that notorio can mean that, but it may also just mean
well known. Is my new-found knowledge correct. Can you use notorio
to mean famous with no negative implication in everyday Spanish?

Thanks for all your help. I love the forum.

[Rusty]

Poli,

The word notorio in Spanish only means a positive thing. It means well-known, evident, obvious, noticeable or marked.

From the DRAE:
notorio, ria.
(Del b. lat. notorĭus).

1. adj. Público y sabido por todos.
2. adj. Claro, evidente.
3. adj. Importante, relevante o famoso.
□

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

[Tomisimo]

Yes, notorio and notorious are really false cognates. notorio means noteworthy, notable. (In addition to what Rusty said)

[Rusty]

True.

In English, notorious means infamous, but it also means famous. We actually have a word with two meanings that are exact opposites.

[poli]

Originally Posted by Rusty

True.

In English, notorious means infamous, but it also means famous. We actually have a word with two meanings that are exact opposites.

Spanish speakers learning English shouldn't be mislead though. Notorious
in contemporary English refers to negative fame... the notorious Al Capone
(famous--but infamous = notorious in American English). The notorious Mahatma Gandhi doesn't make sense, because he wasn't notorious.
Instead of notorius, it's better to use well known as a synonymn for famous-- or even of note.

[Rusty]

I don't feel I was misleading anyone. All the dictionaries I consulted list well-known, or widely known, and famous as the first meaning of the term. Most were quick to add especially unfavorably, or similar wording.

All gave both infamous and famous as synonyms, so this means to me that the word has a dual meaning.

Infamous notoriety is what we usually associate with the term, but not always.

[Tomisimo]

In my opinion, notorious for me usually means a famous criminal. So fame + a bad reputation = notorious. That being said, a secondary meaning for notorious is simply famous, and in that sense, it does have a lot in common with notorio. I think it depends on the connotation we give the word. The term notoriety is a lot more neutral, simply meaning "to be noted".

[Jessica]

false cognates wow that's so strange are there any more?

[Rusty]

There are several more. Do a search in the forums for 'falsos amigos'.

[Planet hopper]

Sensible=sensat@
sensitive=sensible