The Latin word intactus came to Spanish as intacto . The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to that which was not touched, handled or manipulated .
By extension, the notion is usually used to describe what did not suffer any damage , modification or detriment . For example: “Despite the passing of the years, the former player showed that he is intact and scored two goals in the match to benefit the flood victims” , “The earthquake destroyed dozens of buildings, but the Municipal Palace remained intact” , “The model's hairstyle remained intact despite the wind.”
Suppose that a young man's phone slips from his hands and the device ends up falling to the ground, impacting the surface. The fall could have destroyed the equipment but, fortunately for the boy, it did not cause any problems: the phone remained intact despite the impact .
Let's take the case of a writer who, throughout his career, ventures into multiple genres and even takes on the most diverse jobs . When he turns 80 , a journalist prepares a special report on his life and highlights that, beyond the ups and downs, the author managed to keep his prestige intact: that is, he never stopped enjoying the recognition of his peers and readers despite having gone through stages of different characteristics.
Throughout all the examples presented so far we can clearly see that the meaning of the word intact can have a material or symbolic connotation: an intact piece of furniture is in perfect condition , without scratches or marks of any kind and with its original color and texture; The spirit of a person who remains intact despite a very serious situation is more difficult to appreciate, since it is a subjective matter, which only he or she can describe.
It is necessary to point out that although the majority of Spanish speakers know these two meanings, the most common in everyday speech is the first. This is related to many other cases, and the reason is quite easy to define: popular language usually consists of conversations about non-abstract topics, or at least with a fairly reduced vocabulary .
Another curious fact regarding this term is that it is not inherently linked to a positive or negative connotation, but rather this depends directly on the context. At first glance, we could think that by noticing that something is intact the subject is happy; However, if it is something that can cause harm , precisely the opposite occurs.
Take for example the case of a criminal investigation group that has been pursuing an organized gang for a long time. If just when you think you are about to catch them all and bring them to justice you discover that you have been deceived with strategically placed false leads and that the criminals will keep their plans intact, you will surely be deeply disappointed.
Returning to the symbolic meaning of this concept, a person's reputation is something that everyone wants to keep intact, although this can also be interpreted in different ways depending on the case. Continuing with the dark world of crime, it is known that those who become "famous" for their terrible crimes hate the mere idea of the public perceiving them as kind or weak people; On the contrary, they strive to maintain an absolutely despicable image.
“Intacto” , finally, is the title of a film directed by the Spanish Juan Carlos Fresnadillo . Starring Eusebio Poncela , Leonardo Sbaraglia , Mónica López and Max Von Sydow , the film premiered in 2001 .