încurcat

Forms

încurcat m or n (feminine singular încurcată, masculine plural încurcați, feminine/neuter plural încurcate)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian încurca (“to tangle”) + -at: the past participle of the verb, used as an adjective and, in the neuter, as a noun.^[2][3][4][1]

The origin of the verb is uncertain.^[5] Giuglea, the DA and Rosetti derive it from a Latin *incolicō, from colus (“distaff”), the view MDA2 gives as probable and Wiktionary as one of two;^[5][3][1] Ciorănescu rejects it on semantic grounds.^[5][3][1] He suggests instead *curricō, from currō (“to run”), with the sense “to set a trap”, or an expressive origin.^[5][1] Pușcariu's derivation from descurca was later abandoned, and Ciorănescu takes the derivation the other way round.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record of the participle is in Coresi's Praxiu of 1563, earlier than his first record of the verb, Coresi's homiliary of 1581.^[4][6] Klein's dictionary of 1801 renders încurcat by Latin intrīcātus (“entangled”).^[7]

Semantic evolution

The adjective follows the senses of the verb.^[2] From tangled threads and hair it went to roads that are hard to follow, then to confused affairs and ideas, and to people who are embarrassed or at a loss.^[2][3][8] Damé's dictionary of the 1890s already gives French equivalents for all three ranges: “entortillé, embrouillé, embarrassé”.^[9] MDA2 also records the senses “caught up in a hopeless situation” and, figuratively, “caught in someone's snares”.^[3] The neuter noun, “the act of tangling”, is recorded from 1885 in a collection of folk poetry.^[3]

Timeline

• 1563 – încurcat in Coresi's Praxiu.^[4]
• 1581 – the verb încurca in Coresi's homiliary.^[6][3]
• 1801 – Klein's dictionary glosses it with Latin intrīcātus.^[7]
• 1875 – the adjective in Alecsandri's poems, MDA2's first record.^[3]
• 1885 – the noun, in Teodorescu's collection of folk poetry.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (of threads, yarn, hair) tangled; încâlcit.^[2][3]
2. (of roads) Hard to find or follow; winding.^[2][3]
3. (of ideas, actions) Hard to follow; confused, unclear: un plan încurcat.^[2][10]
4. a lăsa (ceva) încurcat, a o lăsa încurcată: to leave a problem unresolved; to give it up.^[2][3]
5. (of people) Ill at ease, embarrassed, stânjenit.^[2][3]
6. Caught up in a difficult situation with no way out.^[3]

Noun

1. (neuter) The act of tangling or getting tangled; încurcare.^[2][3]

Related words

• încurca
• încurcătură
• descurca

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 543
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1219
4. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. încurcat
5. ^ a b c d e 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. încurca
6. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. încurca
7. ^ a b Gáldi, László (ed.) (1944), Samuel Klein: Dictionarium valachico-latinum. Primul dicționar al limbii române, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Pázmány Péter Tudományegyetemi Román Intézet (Klein's dictionary of 1801, with Gáldi's etymological study), p. 378
8. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 614
9. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. încurcat
10. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. încurcat