încetini

Forms

încetini (third-person singular present încetinește, past participle încetinit) 4th conjugation^[1] Variants are înceteni^[2][3] and the rare încetina, used by Arghezi.^[4][2]

Etymology

It is a derivative from Romanian încet (“slow”), with its ⟨-in-⟩ taken from încetinel (“slowly, gently”).^[5][3][1][6] Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of the adjective,^[7] and Tiktin compares încetineală.^[6] The adjective itself goes back to Latin quētus, a form of quiētus (“quiet”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1891, in Ollănescu's translation of Horace: „Duioasa lui cântare Încetinea râul din curs și-a vântului mișcare” “his tender song slowed the river in its course and the movement of the wind”.^[6] MDA2 cites the same passage.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The verb first meant to make something in motion go slower, then to lower the intensity of something, to calm it.^[2][5] By extension it came to mean to delay and to postpone.^[5][2] It is also used intransitively, of a person or vehicle that slows down, and reflexively, “to become slower”.^[4][2]

Timeline

• 1891 – the first record, in Ollănescu's Horace.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To slow down, to reduce the speed of something.^[5][2][1]
2. To reduce the intensity of something; to calm, to domoli.^[5][2]
3. By extension, to delay, to postpone.^[5][2]
4. (intransitive and reflexive) To become slower.^[4][2]

Word family

• încetinitor

Related words

• încet
• încetinel
• încetineală
• înceta

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1206
3. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. încetini
4. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne
5. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 539
6. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. încetini
7. ^ a b Ciorănescu, Alexandru (1958–1966), Diccionario etimológico rumano, La Laguna: Universidad de La Laguna (Romanian ed.: Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române, București: Saeculum, 2001), p. s.v. încet