înscena

Forms

înscena (third-person singular present înscenează, past participle înscenat), 1st conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian inscenare (“to stage”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Marcu and Maneca write only “compare Italian”, and for the DA it is modelled on German inscenieren.^[6][7]

The Italian verb is formed in- + scena (“stage”) + -are.^[1][8] DELI records it from 1901, in a list of new words, and in the figurative sense of staging a demonstration from 1918; it was felt as a journalistic neologism and was criticised as such in 1908.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DA quotes the verb and its participle from Titu Maiorescu's Discursuri in the figurative sense of arranging something behind the scenes, and the noun înscenare from the same work.^[7] CADE (1931) has both senses: to put on a show, and to prepare an action only for appearances, so that people believe something.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense is theatrical: to put a play on the stage, to direct a production.^[7][2] The figurative sense came early, and was already in Maiorescu: to set up an action that looks spontaneous but has been prepared, such as a street protest.^[7][5][10] In the second half of the 20th century the dictionaries gave the figurative sense a darker tone: to plot an unjust trial or an action meant to harm someone, the sense of English “to frame”.^[11][2][1]

Timeline

• 1901 – Italian inscenare “to put on the stage”; figurative from 1918.^[9]
• 1931 – both senses in CADE.^[5]
• 1955–1957 – the sense “to plot a trial or an action against someone” in the DLRLC.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To stage a show, to put it on the stage.^[2][3][1]
2. (transitive, figurative) To set up actions meant to harm someone; to frame someone: i-au înscenat un proces.^[2][11][1]

Word family

• înscenare

Related words

• scenă
• Italian inscenare

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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. 553
3. ^ 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, 1245
4. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. înscena
5. ^ a b c d Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. înscena
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. înscena
7. ^ 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. înscena
8. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. înscena
11. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 654