acar

Forms

acar m (plural acari)^[1] In the sense “needle box” the word is neuter, plural acare.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian ac (“needle”) + -ar, with the suffix of nouns of place and agent.^[4][2][3][5] Ac continues Latin acus, and its sense “railway switch” follows French aiguille and German Nadel.^[6] Scriban takes the railway word as a model of French aiguilleur, and Wiktionary says the same.^[7][1]

For the older sense “needle maker”, Candrea and Densusianu and Șăineanu gave Latin acuārius (“needle maker”), which Wiktionary mentions as possible.^{[8][9][1][10]} MDA2 compares French aiguillier for the needle box.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the needle box, acar, in a manuscript of 1778 that Hasdeu quotes.^[3] DELR dates this sense to 1840.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The needle box has regional forms of its own: Muntenian acare, Moldavian acăriță, Transylvanian acarniță and, in Banat, aconiță and acheț.^[3] Candrea and Densusianu took the sense “needle maker” from the Lexicon of Buda (1825).^[8]

The railway sense, “pointsman, switchman”, came with the railways: DELR's first record is from 1901.^[6] It is the only sense in DEX, with macagiu as its synonym.^[4] Iordan records Acar as a surname from this word.^[11]

Timeline

• 1778 – acar “needle box” in a manuscript quoted by Hasdeu.^[3]
• 1840 – the needle box in the vocabulary of Poenaru, Aaron and Hill.^[6]
• 1886 – in Hasdeu's Etymologicum Magnum Romaniae, MDA2's first record.^[2]
• 1890 – acar “metal piece holding a hair bun” in Marian.^[6]
• 1901 – acar “pointsman”.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (railways) A railway worker who works and keeps the devices that move the points of a switch; a pointsman, macagiu.^[4][2][1]
2. (neuter, plural acare) A small box for needles, thread and other sewing things; acarniță.^[12][2]
3. (dated) A needle maker.^[13][9][1]

Related words

• ac
• macagiu

Usage notes

MDA2 and DELR also record a regional acar for a metal piece that holds up a woman's hair bun, of unknown origin according to MDA2.^[2][6] A separate Transylvanian acar “-ever; whether; at least” is a loan from Hungarian akár and forms compounds such as acarce “whatever”, first recorded in the New Testament of 1648.^[14][15][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 6
3. ^ 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. acár
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 5
5. ^ 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. acar
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ac
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 62
8. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. acar
9. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 4
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Iordan, Iorgu (1983), Dicționar al numelor de familie românești, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 19
12. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. acar
13. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. acar
14. ^ 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. acar
15. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. ácar
16. ^ Costinescu, Mariana; Georgescu, Magdalena; Zgraon, Florentina (1987), Dicționarul limbii române literare vechi (1640–1780): termeni regionali, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 1, 42