argintos

Forms

argintos m or n (feminine singular argintoasă, masculine plural argintoși, feminine/neuter plural argintoase)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian argint + -os.^[2][3][4][1] The DA allows a second source as well, from Latin argentōsus (“rich in silver”), comparing French argenteux, Occitan argentous and Spanish argentoso.^[5] Candrea and Densusianu and Șăineanu derive it from the Latin word alone.^[6][7] Wiktionary notes that it may correspond to the Latin adjective.^[1] The base is argint, from argentum (“silver”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the first record to 1691–1697, in T. Corbea's dictionary, with the senses “containing silver” and “silvery”.^[8] Tiktin's first date is 1703, and MDA2's is I. Văcărescu's poems of 1848.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is “containing silver”, still used of rocks and soil: the Lexicon de la Buda of 1825 has terenuri argintoase “silver-bearing land”.^[5][3] The poets used it for “silvery”, of light and of sound.^[5][4] Văcărescu asked the breeze where it brings sighs from, „D-a lui Apolon lire Par sunete-argintoase” “from Apollo's lyre, they seem silvery sounds”.^[5][9] Bolintineanu's moon pours „raze dulci și argintoase” “sweet and silvery rays”, and Eminescu calls Memphis „argintos gând al pustiei” “a silvery thought of the desert”.^[4][5] In this sense the word gave way to argintiu, and DEX marks it as dated.^[2][9]

Timeline

• 1691–1697 – in T. Corbea's dictionary, the first record.^[8]
• 1703 – Tiktin's first record.^[4]
• 1825 – terenuri argintoase in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[5]
• 1848 – sunete-argintoase in I. Văcărescu's poems.^[3][5]
• 1865 – raze ... argintoase in Bolintineanu.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Containing silver, argentiferous.^[2][3][1]
2. (dated) silvery in colour or sound, argintiu.^[2][3][1]

Related words

• argint
• argintiu

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 60
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. argintos
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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. argintos
6. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București
7. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 34
8. ^ a b 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
9. ^ 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. argintos