amnar

Forms

amnar n (plural amnare)^[1] Variants are amânar and, in Moldavia, amănar;^[2][3][4] MDA2 also gives the regional amnariu, and as a masculine the word has the plural amnari.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

Its origin is disputed.^[2][3] Ciorănescu follows Pușcariu and the REW: it is inherited from Latin manuārius (“of the hand”), from manus (“hand”), and he compares the Romanian word for “handle”.^[5][1] DELR prefers *ignārium (for igniārium), from ignis (“fire”), as the Lexicon of Buda, Laurian and Massim, Cihac, Philippide and Scriban proposed; in its view some variants and some senses (the loom part, the crosspiece of the cart) owe something to mână “hand”.^[2][6] Ciorănescu finds *ignārium less likely given the dialect forms.^[5] Hasdeu derived it from the neuter of manuālis or of Ciorănescu's adjective, used as nouns, “thing held in the hand, thing that works as a hand”, and Candrea and Densusianu took the initial ⟨a⟩ from a phrase meaning “at hand”.^[2] The DA sees an evident link with the word for “hand” and also suggests Ciorănescu's adjective, with clāvus (“nail”) understood, while the corner posts of a house were compared to arms holding it up.^[7][2] Tiktin notes that neither view easily explains all the senses from one etymon, and MDA2 derives the word within Romanian, from the noun for “hand” and its derivatives mănușă and mâner.^[3][4]

South of the Danube it has the forms Aromanian mânar and Megleno-Romanian mănar (“fire steel”).^[2][5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1508, in a Slavonic document, as a Romanian word.^[2][3] MDA2 dates it from Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică (1704), with the sense “fire steel”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The main sense is the piece of steel struck on a flint to light tinder, which was sometimes used to sharpen knives as well.^[3][5][9] From it comes the phrase cât ai scăpăra din amnar or cât ai da în amnar “in an instant”.^[3][10]

The regional senses name wooden or iron parts of farm gear and buildings: the corner posts of peasant houses and mills, the crosspiece at the end of a cart ladder, the iron pin that raises or lowers the ploughshare in Oltenia and Banat, and the tension board of a loom.^[3][2][9] In Maramureș it is also a vertical batten on the wings of wooden gates.^[11] The derivatives are late: the diminutives amnărel (1899) and amnăruș (1898), and in Hațeg a verb amnări “to become dizzy” (1895).^[2]

Timeline

• 1508 – the first record, in a Slavonic-language document.^[2][3]
• 1704 – amnar “fire steel” in Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică.^[4]
• 1895 – amnări “to become dizzy”, a Hațeg word.^[2]
• 1898 – the diminutive amnăruș, the loom part.^[2]
• 1899 – the diminutive amnărel.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A fire steel: a piece of steel struck on a flint to make sparks and light tinder or a wick.^[9][1]
2. (regional) Any of the wooden posts at the corners of a peasant building that hold up the roof.^[9][5]
3. (regional) A wooden handle used to turn and fix the beam of a loom.^[9][3]
4. (regional) A device for raising or lowering the ploughshare.^[9][5]
5. (regional, Moldavia) A crosspiece at the end of a cart ladder.^[2][3]

Word family

• amnări
• amnăruș

Related words

• mână
• mâner
• cremene

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 l m n o 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. amnar
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. amnar
4. ^ 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, 55
5. ^ a b c d e f 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. amnar
6. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 96
7. ^ 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. amnar
8. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 181
9. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 37
10. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. amnar
11. ^ Ștef, Dorin (2021), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din județul Maramureș, 3rd ed., Baia Mare, p. s.v. amnar