Florii

Forms

Florii f pl (plural only)^[1]

Etymology

DEX, MDA2, the DLRM and Candrea and Densusianu derive it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *florilia, a form of Flōrālia, the Roman festival of Flora.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The Latin name of the festival is formed on Flōra, the goddess of flowers, a name from flōs (“flower”).^[1][6] Tiktin connects it with the same Latin noun, compares French Pâques fleuries, and calls the formation unclear.^[7] Scriban and the CADE take it from flori, the plural of floare, and the CADE also compares the French name.^[8][9] Cihac explains it as a Latin genitive with diēs (“day”) understood, and compares Occitan pasca floria.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1625, in a Wallachian document of the series Documente privind istoria României.^[7] MDA2's first record is much later, Marian's collection of charms of 1893.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The name is used for the Sunday before Easter, which commemorates the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.^[2][3] Its full form is Duminica Floriilor; other names are Duminica Stâlpărilor and, in Transylvania, Duminica Vlăstarilor.^[7][3] On that day branches of flowering willow (mâțișori) are handed out in church, in memory of the branches with which Jerusalem greeted Christ.^[7][9] The Saturday before is Sâmbăta Floriilor, also called Lazarus Saturday.^[9] MDA2 also records the word for the small spiral loaves of wheat bread given out on that day.^[3]

Timeline

• 1625 – the first record, in a Wallachian document.^[7]
• 1825 – Florii, glossed as Dumineca florilor and Latin Dominica palmarum, in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[11]
• 1893 – in Marian's collection of charms, MDA2's first record.^[3]

Meanings

Proper noun

1. (Christianity) Palm Sunday (the Christian feast on the Sunday before Easter, which commemorates the entry of Christ into Jerusalem).^[2][3][1]
2. (regional) Small spiral loaves of wheat bread handed out on Palm Sunday.^[3]

Related words

• floare
• Paște

Usage notes

The word is a plural without a singular, written with a capital letter as a feast name: la Florii “on Palm Sunday”.^[2][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 401
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 919
4. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. florii
5. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. florii
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. florii
8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 515
9. ^ a b c Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. florii
10. ^ Cihac, A. de (1870), Dictionnaire d'étymologie daco-romane I: Éléments latins comparés avec les autres langues romanes, Frankfurt am Main, p. 96
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. 221