argint

Forms

argint n (plural arginturi)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin argentum (“silver”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} DELR places the Latin word with arguō, argūmentum and argūtus, on a root meaning bright or shining.^[2] De Vaan traces it through Proto-Italic *argentom to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥ǵn̥tom (“silver”).^[7][1]

Outside Daco-Romanian the word lives on as Megleno-Romanian arzint (also răzint) and Istro-Romanian arzint.^[2][4][8] Ciorănescu gives the same forms as Aromanian.^[3] Its cognates include Dalmatian arziant, Italian argento, Sardinian argentu, French argent, Occitan argen and Catalan argent, and Albanian ërgënd is a loan from the Latin word.^[3][4][9]

The compound argint-viu “mercury” is a calque of argentum vīvum, like Italian argento vivo and French vif-argent.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the word to the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, written in the early 16th century; it appears there in Psalms 118:72 and 134:15.^[2][10] The same psalter has the participle argințite “silvered”.^[2] MDA2's first record is the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583), where the DA quotes a passage naming silver beside gold and clothing.^[5][11]

Semantic evolution

Besides the metal, the word named silver objects and silver coins, and the two plurals divide these senses: neuter arginturi for silverware, masculine arginți for coins.^[3][6] The coins gave the dated sense “money”: iubitor de argint is a lover of money.^[12][13] Cantemir uses a așterne pod de argint “to lay a silver bridge” for making a retreating enemy's escape easy.^[14] Figuratively the word stands for a bright white colour that suggests purity.^[5]

Hasdeu found the spellings arjintu, argintu and ergintu in the 1588 register of the Galata monastery.^[15] A personal name Argint is recorded in 1677.^[16] DELR dates a large family: argintar “silversmith” (1648), from the noun or from Latin argentārius, argintos (1691–1697), argintărie (1718–1729) and argintiu (1837).^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1500–1520 – argint in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, the first record.^[2][10]
• c. 1563–1583 – in the Codicele Voronețean.^[5][11]
• 1588 – the spellings arjintu and ergintu in the Galata register.^[15]
• 1648 – argintar “silversmith” in the New Testament of Bălgrad.^[2]
• c. 1650 – argint-viu “mercury”.^[2]
• 1673 – the verb arginta “to silver”, in the participle, in Dosoftei.^[2]
• 1837 – argintiu “silvery” in Heliade-Rădulescu.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. silver: a precious white shining metal, malleable and ductile, a very good conductor of electricity.^[6][5][1]
2. (plural arginturi) A kind of silver or an object made of silver; silverware.^[6][1]
3. (masculine, chiefly plural arginți) A silver coin; money.^[6][3][1]
4. (figurative) A bright white colour, usually a symbol of purity.^[5]

Word family

• arginta
• argintar
• argintărie
• argintiu
• argintos
• argint-viu

Related words

• argentifer
• Megleno-Romanian arzint
• Latin argentum

Usage notes

Nuntă de argint is the 25th wedding anniversary and the party held for it.^[6] Argint-viu is mercury and, figuratively, a lively, quick person.^[6][17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. argint
3. ^ 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. argint
4. ^ a b c Pușcariu, Sextil (1905), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der rumänischen Sprache I: Lateinisches Element, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 10
5. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 94
6. ^ 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. 60
7. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
8. ^ Byhan, Arthur (1899), Istrorumänisches Glossar, Sechster Jahresbericht des Instituts für rumänische Sprache zu Leipzig: 174–366, p. 188
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 640
10. ^ a b Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Ungureanu, Mădălina; Moruz, Alexandru et al., roPsalt: Re-evaluating the Sixteenth Century Romanian Psalters (aligned corpus), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. Ps 118:72
11. ^ 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. argint
12. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 120
13. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 34
14. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. argint
15. ^ a b Hasdeu, B. P. (1886–1898), Etymologicum Magnum Romaniae: dicționarul limbei istorice și poporane a românilor, 4 vols. (A–Bărbat), București: Socec, p. s.v. argint
16. ^ Constantinescu, N. A. (1963), Dicționar onomastic romînesc, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. argint
17. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. argint