prenda mía

22:06 Sep 6, 2010 

On reading my posting, I find something's not clear: the term 'prenda' as 'loved one' is archaic in Argentina, not its other uses.

22:04 Sep 6, 2010 

A couple of ideas, in an attempt to bridge the gap… The term here can be found in gauchesco literature, and would sound very archaic outside this genre.

• For a gaucho, ‘prendas’ are not only his clothes, but all his most valuable possessions, often in worked silver and intricately woven leather –real works of art and nowadays costly collectors’ items. They are not for everyday wear, but on feast days the gaucho –and his horse- are decked out in the best he can afford (or has inherited). He would literally wear his wealth on his back (still true to a certain extent)

• ‘Mi prenda’ (often pronounced ‘prienda’) refers to his woman (note the possessive). The word would never be used to refer to the man.

http://www.depaginas.com.ar/fotosde__prendas_criollas.htm

18:09 Sep 6, 2010 

Steven's answer is also a possibility for the same reasons

18:09 Sep 6, 2010 

I don't think there is a word that would be an exact fit (the more common modern word, surety, is not much of a term of endearment). But "dear" or "my dearest" do have that sense of "thing of value".

OED entry on dear (link needs subscription/library card):

I. 2. a. Regarded with personal feelings of high estimation and affection; held in deep and tender esteem; beloved, loved.
to have dear, hold dear: to love [= Ger. lieb haben, Du. liefhebben].
The earlier sense was that of ‘esteemed, valued’ rather than ‘loved’ (= Ger. teuer, not lieb), but the passage of the one notion into the other is too gradual to admit of their separation.
II. Of things.

4. a. Of high estimation, of great worth or value; precious, valuable. Obs.

6. a. Of a high price, high-priced, absolutely or relatively; costly, expensive: the opposite of cheap.

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50058180?query_type=word...

It's interesting that the notions of "valued" and "loved" are seen as similar, but the Catalans take it one step further with estimar...