EL ORIGEN Y TRAYECTORIA DE LA METÁFORA NIÑA DEL OJO EN ESPAÑOL

The word niña means etymologically the same as pupil ('niñita'), but while the latter has lost this meaning in current Spanish and has remained as a reference of a part of the eye that is no longer related to its origin, the term niña still have in our days its original meaning. The aim of this paper is to see how the expression niña del ojo in Spanish language originates, what makes its formation possible and, from there, to study its development and temporal trajectory through its historical evolution in lexicographic works, as well as its documentation and general extension in the Hispanic world, to lead to an analysis of its situation and current use in relation to the term pupil. According to the results observed, pupil, which in its beginning was a cultism of the anatomical jargon, seems to be displacing the expression niña del ojo, which has been the most used traditionally in the common language.