și

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin sīc (“thus, so, in this way”).^[2][3][4][1] The Oxford Latin Dictionary explains the Latin adverb as the locative of an old demonstrative stem with the particle -ce.^[5] In Romanian the adverb “so, thus” became the ordinary conjunction “and”.^[6][2]

The word survives in all four branches: Aromanian shi, Megleno-Romanian și and Istro-Romanian și.^[2][7][8] The same Latin adverb gave Italian sì, French si, Occitan si, Catalan sí, Spanish sí and Portuguese sim, and in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese it became the word for “yes”.^[6][2] Wiktionary also compares the doubled Italian sia (“both … and”), originally a subjunctive of essere (“to be”), which is used like the doubled Romanian conjunction.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is Neacșu's letter of 1521.^[9][3] Tiktin's article opens with the adverb, glossed “also, likewise, so”.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Both main uses go back to the earliest texts: the adverb “also, even; already, at once” and the conjunction “and”.^[2][9] As an adverb it stands right before the word it qualifies, and with a verb before the verb itself: mă și duc “I am off at once”, m-am și dus “I have already gone”.^[9][4]

In the old language the same word was also attached to pronouns and adverbs as an enclitic particle that strengthened them; it survives fused in același “the same” and totuși “nevertheless”.^[2][9] Tiktin first records this enclitic in the Psaltirea Scheiană of the 16th century.^[9] In northwestern Transylvania the word is also used regionally for să “to, in order to”.^[1]

Timeline

• 1521 – the first record, in Neacșu's letter.^[9][3]
• 16th century – the enclitic particle -și strengthening pronouns, in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[9]
• 1801 – Klein's dictionary glosses Shi with Latin et, ac, que.^[10]
• 1825 – the Lexicon de la Buda gives Latin et, ac, que, Hungarian és and German und.^[11]

Meanings

Adverb

1. indeed, really; exactly, just as said: Cum a promis, așa a și făcut. “As he promised, so he did.”^[4][2]
2. Moreover, in addition, on top of that.^[4][2]
3. also, too, as well; with a comparative it intensifies: și mai frumos “even more beautiful”.^[4][1]
4. (in negative clauses) either, nor.^[4]
5. (of time) immediately, at once.^[4][2][1]
6. (of time) already.^[4][2][1]

Conjunction

1. and: joins two words of the same kind in a clause: pâine și sare “bread and salt”.^[4][3][1]
2. With cu, plus in addition: doi și cu doi fac patru “two plus two make four”; it also joins the units to the tens in the numerals from twenty-one to ninety-nine: treizeci și cinci “thirty-five”.^[4][1]
3. Joins two clauses, adding a further action or detail.^[4]
4. Repeated before each member, “both … and”, “not only … but also”: și vara, și iarna “both in summer and in winter”.^[4][3]
5. At the start of a sentence in storytelling, marks the continuation of events; before a question it links it to what was said: Ei și? “So what?”.^[4][1]
6. After ca, “like, just as”; also “almost”: lucrarea e ca și terminată “the work is as good as finished”.^[4]
7. (adversative) but, yet.^[4]
8. (conclusive) so, therefore.^[4]

Word family

• totuși
• același

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. și
3. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1099
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1088
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 7892
7. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 930
8. ^ Pascu, Giorge (1925), Dictionnaire étymologique macédoroumain, 2 vols. (I: Les éléments latins et romans; II: Les éléments grecs, turcs, slaves, albanais, germaniques, magyars, néologismes, créations immédiates, obscurs), Iași: Cultura Națională, p. 1, 166
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. și
10. ^ 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. 443
11. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 642