aproximativ

Forms

aproximativ m or n (feminine singular aproximativă, masculine plural aproximativi, feminine/neuter plural aproximative); also an adverb^[1] MDA2 records the old spellings approximativ, aprocsimativ, aprossimativ and aprosimativ, and the form aproximatif of the first decades.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French approximatif, according to DELR, DEX, MDA2, the DA and Tiktin.^{[3][1][2][4][5]} Scriban also names Latin approximātus (“brought near”).^[6] The French adjective is formed on approximation with the suffix -if,^[7] and the French noun is a borrowing of Medieval Latin approximātiō.^[3] The verb aproxima comes from French approximer, from Latin approximō, formed on proximus (“nearest”), the superlative of prope (“near”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is Gheorghe Asachi's translation of I. Kaidanov's history of the Russian Empire, printed at Iași in 1832.^[2] Tiktin has a record of 1833, and DELR one of 1838, again from Asachi.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective meant “close to a given amount, nearly exact”, as in o socoteală aproximativă “a rough reckoning”; its adverbial use “about, roughly” is quoted from Titu Maiorescu.^[4] Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 glosses approximativŭ as “by approximation”.^[8] DEX adds an ironic sense “vague, imprecise”, as in cunoștințe aproximative “sketchy knowledge”.^[1] Slang deforms the word as aprostimativ and pastramativ.^[9]

Timeline

• 1832 – in Asachi's translation of Kaidanov, the first record.^[2]
• 1833 – a record cited by Tiktin.^[5]
• 1838 – in a text of Asachi, DELR's record.^[3]
• 1870 – approximativŭ in Costinescu's dictionary.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. approximate: close to a given amount, nearly true.^[1][2]
2. (ironic) vague, imprecise.^[1][2]

Adverb

1. approximately, about, roughly, circa: aproximativ o sută de oameni “about a hundred people”.^[1][2]

Related words

• aproxima
• aproximație
• aproape

References

1. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 56
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, 84
3. ^ a b c d e 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. aproxima
4. ^ a b 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. aproximativ
5. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. aproximativ
6. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 114
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
8. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 58
9. ^ Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. aproximativ