atunci

Forms

atunci (variants atunce, atuncea)^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Vulgar Latin ad (“to”) + *tunce (“then”), a Latin phrase whose second part is tunc (“then”) with a final ⟨-e⟩.^[3][4][5][1] DELR gives two explanations for the final ⟨-e⟩: the deictic particle -ce, whose vowel survived in forms like hōsce, or an ⟨-e⟩ added to monosyllables ending in a consonant, as in miere from mel.^[3] Late Latin records the phrase ad tunc.^[3][4][6]

It survives in all four branches: Aromanian atumtsea, Megleno-Romanian tunțea and Istro-Romanian atunce.^[4][3][7][8] The Romance parallels are formed with other prepositions: Venetian toncha, Catalan adonchs and Spanish entonces.^[4][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is the variant atunce in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of about 1500.^[3] MDA2 dates the word from the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583), and Tiktin cites it there at Acts 23:3.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

The adverb points to a time in the past or in the future, as opposed to acum “now”.^[6][5] From “at that moment” it came to mean “in that case”, and it can link a clause as a conjunction.^[2][6] Phrases such as de atunci “since then”, pe atunci “in those days” and până atunci “until then” are old.^[9]

DELR dates several derivatives.^[3] Atuncea, with the deictic -a of acela and acesta, and the old atunceși “at that very time” are both recorded in Moxa's chronicle of 1620.^[3] The regional atuncine and atuncinea appear only in the 1890s and 1900s.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1500 – atunce in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki.^[3]
• c. 1563–1583 – in the Codicele Voronețean.^[5][9]
• 1620 – atuncea and atunceși in Moxa's chronicle.^[3]
• 1894 – the regional atuncinea.^[3]
• 1907 – the regional atuncine (Sălaj).^[3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. then: at that moment, at that time; at the same moment as an action or just after it: de atunci “since then”, pe atunci “in those days”.^[2][1]
2. Only in that case: Dacă nu vrei, atunci ce faci? “If you don't want to, what will you do then?”^[2]
3. (as a conjunction) In that case, then: Dacă ți-e foame, atunci mănâncă. “If you're hungry, then eat.”^[2]

Word family

• atuncea
• atunceși
• atuncine
• atuncinea

Related words

• Aromanian atumtsea
• Latin tunc

Usage notes

Atunci și nici atunci “then and not even then” means “never”.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 73
3. ^ 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. atunci
4. ^ a b c d 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. atunci
5. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 126
6. ^ a b c d 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. atunci
7. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 159
8. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 304
9. ^ 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. atunci
10. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 53