asemenea

Forms

asemenea (invariable adjective and adverb)^[1][2] The variants asemeni, asemene and asemine are regional.^[2][3] The Codex Sturdzanus (1590–1602) has asemene and asemenele.^[4] Old texts also write aseamene, and Moldavia has asemine(a).^[5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin assimilis (“very like, similar”), formed from ad- and similis (“like”).^[3][5][1][7] DEX gives the Latin neuter form, in ⟨-e⟩.^[2] Ciorănescu explains the /n/ as a reversal of rhotacism: the Latin /l/ became /r/, and the resulting form with /r/ was then corrected to one with /n/, a view he takes from Iordan and Pușcariu.^[3] DELR derives the word from the older asemene, itself from the Latin adjective, with a final ⟨-a⟩.^[4]

The word is related to asemăna “to liken, resemble”, from Latin assimilō, and to semăna “to resemble”, from similō.^[4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the first record to the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki (c. 1500).^[4] Tiktin's first record is the Psaltirea Scheiană (Psalm 54:14) and MDA2's a manuscript of about 1550.^[9][5]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is “alike, equal”, construed with the dative or with cu: „Doamne, cine e asemenea ție?” “Lord, who is like unto thee?” in the Bible of 1688.^[9] From “alike” it came to mean “such, of that kind”: o asemenea problemă “such a problem”, sometimes with a sense of degree, “so great, so strong”.^[2][5]

As an adverb it means “likewise, in the same way”, and at the head of a sentence it adds information, “also, moreover”.^[2][5] The old phrase a face asemenea cu pământul meant “to level to the ground”, and Tiktin quotes it from Enache Kogălniceanu's chronicle.^[9][5] Geometry uses it for figures with equal angles and proportional sides.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1500 – asemenea in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, the first record.^[4]
• 16th century – asemenea in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[9]
• c. 1550 – a manuscript cited by Hasdeu.^[5]
• 1590–1602 – asemene and asemenele in the Codex Sturdzanus.^[4]
• 1649 – aseme “likewise” in Mardarie's lexicon.^[4]
• 1688 – „Doamne, cine e asemenea ție?” in the Bucharest Bible.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. similar, alike;^[2][5][1] (geometry) of figures with equal corresponding angles and proportional sides.^[2][5][1]
2. such, of this kind: un asemenea caz “such a case”.^[2][1]

Adverb

1. likewise, in the same way.^[2][5][1]
2. Besides, moreover, also.^[2][5]

Word family

• asemeni

Related words

• asemăna
• seamăn
• semăna
• Latin assimilis

Usage notes

As an adverb it is often preceded by de or tot: de asemenea “also”, tot asemenea “just the same”.^[10][11]

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 DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 67
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. asemenea
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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. asemăna
5. ^ 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, 109
6. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. asemenea
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică
9. ^ 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. asemenea
10. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 128
11. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 141