Firmada

Firmada is the feminine form of the past participle of the verb firmar in Spanish and Portuguese. It functions as an adjective or part of a compound tense to indicate that something has been signed, approved, or established. The root firm- comes from Latin firmare, meaning to make firm or secure. The participle agrees in gender and number, yielding firmada (feminine singular), firmado (masculine singular), firmadas (feminine plural), firmados (masculine plural).

In usage, firmada mainly appears with feminine nouns or in gender-appropriate contexts to describe documents, agreements, or records that bear a signature or endorsement. Examples in Spanish: carta firmada (signed letter), documentos firmados, acuerdo firmado, acta firmada. In Portuguese: atas firmadas, documento firmado (or more commonly documento assinado), acordo firmado. The term also appears in phrases like acto firmado or ata firmada, signaling formal endorsement by signature.

Beyond signing, firmar can mean to establish or fix firmly, so the past participle carries the sense of finalization when referring to an outcome that has been confirmed. Etymology traces to Latin firmare, from firmus meaning firm or strong.

There is no separate, widely recognized concept named “firmada” beyond its grammatical role as the feminine past participle of firmar in Spanish and Portuguese. It is not a proper noun, but a gendered inflection used to describe things that have been signed or finalized. See also: firmar, firma, assinatura or assinatura (signature term in Portuguese), assinatura/firmas in Spanish, and the notion of a “firma” as a company.