aține

Forms

aține (third-person singular present aține, past participle aținut, third-person subjunctive ațină) 3rd conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *atteneō (“to hold to”), a remaking of classical attineō (“to hold, keep”) after its base teneō (“to hold”).^[2][3][4] The Latin verb is formed with ad-.^[1] Romance cognates are Italian attenere, Old French atenir, Occitan atener, Spanish atener and Portuguese ater.^[2][5] The REW asks whether these may be later formations.^[5] The older variant is aținea, of the second conjugation.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is aținea in a Romanian Book of Hours (Ceaslov) of 1640.^[2][6] MDA2 cites Alecsandri's poems of 1875.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The verb is used mostly in a aține calea (cuiva) “to lie in wait for someone” and as a reflexive: Eminescu has „Muscalii ... de la mare la Hotin Mereu calea ne-o ațin” “from the sea to Hotin the Russians keep barring our way”.^[2][6] A se aține la drum was said of highway robbers.^[6][7] From waiting for someone came “to be ready”, to catch something that is about to get away, and the call aține-te! “get ready! hold on!”.^[8][7] The old language also had “to follow someone” and, with la, “to have one's mind always on something”.^[2] Aținător “one who lies in wait” is recorded from 1909.^[2]

Timeline

• 1640 – aținea in a Romanian Ceaslov, the first record.^[2][6]
• 1875 – in Alecsandri's poems.^[7]
• 1909 – aținător.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (reflexive and transitive) To lie in wait for someone, to watch for someone's passing.^[4][7][1]
2. (rare) To keep after someone, to follow.^[4][2]
3. (reflexive) To be ready to catch something that is trying to get away.^[4][8]
4. (reflexive, obsolete, with la) To have one's mind always on something.^[2]

Word family

• aținător
• aținere

Related words

• pândi
• ține

Usage notes

DEX gives a popular variant of the second conjugation, aținea.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. aține
3. ^ 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. aținea
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 73
5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 767
6. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. ațíne
7. ^ 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. 1, 127
8. ^ a b Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 53