Etymologically

înfierbăza

Etymology and origin of the Romanian word înfierbăza

Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1682–1686 Dosoftei's lives of the saints More words from the 17th century
Inherited from
Latin *infervidio
Ultimate origin
Latin fervidus

Pronunciation

  • /ɨn.fjer.bəˈza/[1]

Forms

Verb: present not attested, past participle înfierbăzat; 1st conjugation.[1]

Etymology

Capidan and the DA take it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *(in)fervidiāre, formed on fervidus (“boiling, burning”).[2][3] MDA2 analyses it as from Romanian în- + fierbăza and takes the simple verb from the same Latin form.[4][5] Ciorănescu doubts the Latin etymology, because the word appears only in Dosoftei, whose works abound in personal coinages.[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DA records it, with and without the prefix and in the dialect pronunciation înherbădza, only in Dosoftei, and only as a verbal noun and a participle: înfierbădzare de păcate “the heat of sins” in his lives of the saints.[2]

Timeline

  • 1682-1686 – înfierbădzare and herbădzată “heated, drunk” in Dosoftei's lives of the saints.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (obsolete, figurative) To heat up, to become inflamed or kindled.[4][2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1913–1949), Dicționarul limbii române (DA), ed. Sextil Pușcariu, tom I (A–B, C, D–De) and tom II (F–I, J–Lojniță), București: Socec / Universul / Monitorul Oficial și Imprimeriile Statului; page scans at cflr-scans.solirom.ro, p. s.v. înfierbăza
  3. ^ 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. fierbinte
  4. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1226
  5. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 902

Related etymologies

  • apă · also from Latin
  • bun · also from Latin
  • unde · also from Latin
  • veni · also from Latin
  • noi · also from Latin
  • bine · also from Latin
  • un · also from Latin
  • și · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Înfierbăza.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/%C3%AEnfierb%C4%83za. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·