atare

Forms

atare m or f or n (indeclinable)^[1]

Etymology

It is generally explained as inherited from Vulgar Latin *eccum tālis (“lo, such”), a compound of eccum (“behold, here is”) and tālis (“such, of such kind”).^[2][3][4] The compound passed through an intermediate stage that the Aromanian form below preserves; the same compound, without its first vowel, gave cutare, and acătare is a third form of it.^[2][5][6] Ciorănescu finds this the form that best fits the Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian words;^[7] The Latin pronoun alone would explain the Romanian word, but the Romance forms point to a compound, perhaps not the same everywhere.^[7] Pușcariu also considered atque (“and”) with the same pronoun, which DELR finds unlikely for its meaning, and the DA held the initial ⟨a-⟩ unexplained.^[2][8]

It survives south of the Danube: Aromanian ahtare, also aftare and atare, and Megleno-Romanian ftari, also tari.^[7][9][10] Similar compounds are Italian cotale, Old French itel, Old Occitan aital and Old Spanish atal.^[7][1][11] The Latin pronoun goes back to Proto-Indo-European *teh₂-li- (“such”).^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1564, in one of Coresi's homiliaries;^[3][2] DELR dates it to Coresi's Tâlcul evangheliilor of 1567–1568.^[3][2] The Palia of Orăștie (1582) uses it often: „Ce ți-au făcut ție acest nărod, cum atare mare păcat ai adus pre înșii?” “What has this people done to you, that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” (Exodus 32:21).^[8][13] In the same book, in the laws of Exodus 21–22, it means “some, any”, almost an indefinite article.^[6][3]

Semantic evolution

The old language had two senses, “such” and “some, a certain”; the second lived on in Transylvania and the Banat.^[2][14][15] Modern literary Romanian keeps only “such”, placed before the noun: o atare situație “such a situation”.^[4]

The phrase ca atare “as such, in that capacity; consequently” is a calque: the DA thought it probably modelled on German als solcher, DELR on French comme tel.^[8][2] The word is mostly invariable, like care and cutare, though an analogical plural atari occurs;^[7][6] Hasdeu cites it from Țichindeal's fables of 1814.^[7][6]

Timeline

• 1564 – first record, in a homiliary printed by Coresi.^[3]
• 1567–1568 – in Coresi's Tâlcul evangheliilor, DELR's first record.^[2]
• 1582 – frequent in the Palia of Orăștie, “such” and “some, any”.^[13][6]
• 1814 – the plural atari in Țichindeal's fables.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. such, of this kind (placed before the noun): o atare situație “such a situation”.^[4][13][1]
2. ca atare: as such, in that capacity; hence, consequently.^[4][13]
3. (regional, dated) Some, a certain, any.^[13][2]

Related words

• acătare
• cutare
• Aromanian ahtare
• Latin tālis

Usage notes

The word is usually invariable, but the plural atari is also found: în atari împrejurări “in such circumstances”.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. atare
3. ^ 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. atáre
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 71
5. ^ Pascu, Giorge (1925), Dictionnaire étymologique macédoroumain, 2 vols. (I: Les éléments latins et romans; II: Les éléments grecs, turcs, slaves, albanais, germaniques, magyars, néologismes, créations immédiates, obscurs), Iași: Cultura Națională, p. 1, 30
6. ^ a b c d e f Hasdeu, B. P. (1886–1898), Etymologicum Magnum Romaniae: dicționarul limbei istorice și poporane a românilor, 4 vols. (A–Bărbat), București: Socec, p. s.v. atare
7. ^ 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. atare
8. ^ a b c 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. atare
9. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 74
10. ^ Saramandu, Nicolae (coord.) et al. (2010–), Dicționarul dialectului meglenoromân, general și etimologic, fascicles in Fonetică și dialectologie XXIX–, p. 179
11. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
13. ^ 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, 120
14. ^ Costinescu, Mariana; Georgescu, Magdalena; Zgraon, Florentina (1987), Dicționarul limbii române literare vechi (1640–1780): termeni regionali, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 1, 60
15. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 133