actual

Forms

actual m or n (feminine singular actuală, masculine plural actuali, feminine/neuter plural actuale)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French actuel (“present, current”) and in part borrowed from Latin actuālis (“active, practical”).^[2][3][4] According to DELR it is also borrowed from German aktuell, itself from French, with both words reshaped after the Latin form; it notes that the sense “of the present time” grew up within French.^[5] Tiktin gives French alone, and DA calls it a neologism after French.^[6][7] The French adjective was borrowed from the Latin one, which is formed from āctus (“act, action”) with the suffix -ālis;^[1][8] The noun comes from agō (“to drive; to act”).^[5][9] It belongs with act, acțiune and agent.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is a calendar printed in Vienna in 1794, in the sense “existing or happening now”.^[5] Tiktin cites Samuil Micu's history of 1801.^[6] Negulici's dictionary of neologisms, in 1848, explains it as “of now, of the present time”.^[10]

Semantic evolution

The sense “present, current” has been the main one since the first records.^[5][6] Maiorescu used it in philosophy, for what is in consciousness at a given moment.^[7] Two further senses followed: “topical, of interest now”, as in acest fapt nu mai este actual “this fact is no longer topical”,^[11][7] and in older physics energie actuală for the energy of a body in motion.^[7][3]

The family grew in the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly through new loans from French: actualitate (1837–1838), actualmente (1868), actualiza (1909) and inactual (1917).^[5]

Timeline

• 1794 – actual “present” in a calendar printed in Vienna.^[5]
• 1801 – in Samuil Micu's history.^[6]
• 1837–1838 – actualitate “the present; topicality”.^[5]
• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[10]
• 1868 – actualmente “at present”.^[5]
• 1909 – actualiza “to bring up to date”.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. present, current: existing or happening now; often used as an adverb.^[2][3] Situația actuală nu ne permite să plecăm.^[2]
2. Of importance for the present time.^[2]
3. topical, on the agenda.^[2][12]
4. Real.^[2][12]
5. (physics, dated) Of the energy of a moving body: able to do work at that moment.^[3][7]

Word family

• actualitate
• actualiza
• actualmente
• inactual
• reactualiza

Related words

• act
• acțiune
• Latin actualis

Usage notes

In the standard pronunciation -tu- and -al are separate syllables.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 10
3. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 12
4. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. actual
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. actual
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. actual
7. ^ a b c d e 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. actual
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 18
10. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. actual
11. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 67
12. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. actual