înlocui

Forms

înlocui (present înlocuiesc, third-person singular înlocuiește, past participle înlocuit), 4th conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian în loc + -ui, on the adverbial phrase meaning “in place, instead”.^[2][3][4] DA and Tiktin add that it was modelled on French remplacer (“to replace”).^[5][6] Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of loc, which Romanian kept from Latin locus (“place”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is in Constantin Negruzzi's works, 1857.^[6] DA quotes Negruzzi asking with whom the gap in the ranks of the fighters was filled: „Cu cine se înlocuia deșertul ce se făcea în rândurile acestor luptători?”^[5] MDA2 cites the same author from the 1872 edition of his writings.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The verb meant from the start to put someone or something in the place of another, often with cu or prin: Alecsandri wrote that Christianity had replaced the religion of paganism.^[5][6] The reflexive was used for one thing giving way to another: plânsul s-a înlocuit cu râs “the weeping gave way to laughter”.^[6][5] Two senses for posts came next: to remove someone from a post and appoint another, and to stand in for someone for a time.^[2][5] The derivatives înlocuitor “substitute” (Iorga) and înlocuire “replacement” (Maiorescu) followed.^[5]

Timeline

• 1857 – in Constantin Negruzzi's works, the first record.^[6]
• 1872 – in the edition of Negruzzi's writings, MDA2's first record.^[3]
• 1893 – înlocui glossed with French remplacer in Damé's dictionary.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To replace, to put something or someone in the place of another; to substitute.^[2][3][1]
2. To remove someone from a post and appoint someone else in their place.^[2][3]
3. To stand in for someone in a job or function, usually for a time.^[2][3]

Word family

• înlocuitor
• înlocuire
• neînlocuit

Related words

• locui
• loc

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 550
3. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1240
4. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. înlocui
5. ^ a b c d e f 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. înlocui
6. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. înlocui
7. ^ 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. loc
8. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. înlocui