alina

Forms

alina (third-person singular present alină, past participle alinat, third-person subjunctive aline), 1st conjugation^[1]

Etymology

Most dictionaries take it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *allēnō (“to soften, calm”), formed on lēnis (“soft, mild, calm”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Italian allenare and Sardinian allenare are compared with it.^[4][3] Philippide assumed a form *allēnīre.^[3] Tiktin instead derived the verb within Romanian from lin “gentle, smooth”, itself from the same Latin adjective, and found the reconstructed Latin verb less convincing.^[6][2] MDA2 also derives it from the adjective.^[7] The DA's gloss fits either view: to bring something to a smooth, calm state.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Coresi's Evanghelie cu învățătură of 1581.^[2][6] In Varlaam's Cazania of 1643 it is said of a storm: „Vânturile se alinară” “the winds died down”.^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

The oldest use is of natural forces such as wind, waves, frost and fire, which se alină “die down”.^[4][7] From there the verb moved to feelings and pain: one eases sorrow, longing or fear, and in Transylvania and Bukovina also hunger and thirst.^[4][6] A further sense is to soothe a person by stroking or comforting them.^[2][7] Regionally the reflexive means “to settle down for the night”, of people and of birds.^[2][6][7] Old texts also use it intransitively, as in a psalter of 1806.^[4]

Timeline

• 1581 – the first record, in Coresi's Evanghelie cu învățătură.^[2][6]
• 1643 – „Vânturile se alinară” in Varlaam's Cazania.^[4][7]
• 1776 – of the passions of the soul, in a Menaion.^[4]
• 1829 – alinător “soothing”.^[2]
• 1869 – the adverb alin “gently” in Alecsandri.^[2]
• 1870 – alinătură in Cihac.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive and reflexive) To calm, ease, lessen in intensity; to subside: of wind, storms and the like.^[5][7]
2. (transitive and reflexive) To soothe or relieve pain, grief or longing: Muzica îi alina tristețea.^[5][7][1]
3. (transitive) To comfort someone, to caress them.^[7][2]
4. (reflexive, regional) To settle down to sleep; of birds, to perch.^[7][2]

Word family

• alin
• alinător
• alinătură

Related words

• lin
• Latin lēnis

Usage notes

A rare variant is alini.^[5][2] MDA2 lists two regional homographs: alina “to limp slightly”, of unknown origin, and alina as a form of anina.^[7] The given name Alina is a separate word.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. alina
3. ^ a b c 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. alina
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. alina
5. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 29
6. ^ 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. alina
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 43