autostradă

Forms

autostradă f (plural autostrăzi)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French autostrade, with Italian autostrada as a second model, the double source DEX and MDN give.^[2][3][1] MDA2 and the DN name only Italian, the DLRM only French.^[4][5][6] The French word is itself from Italian.^[1] The Italian word is recorded from 1924, a compound of auto and strada (“road”).^[7] In Romanian it can also be analysed as auto- + stradă.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is the Lexiconul tehnic român of 1957, and the DLRLC already defined it in its first volume of 1955.^[4][8]

Semantic evolution

The DLRLC and the DLRM described a wide paved or asphalted road built for motor traffic.^[8][6] DEX now defines the modern motorway, with several lanes in each direction separated by a barrier or a strip of land.^[2] MDA2 records autodrum as a rare synonym.^[4] In jocular slang an autostradă is a bald patch.^[9]

Timeline

• 1924 – Italian autostrada.^[7]
• 1955 – defined in the first volume of the DLRLC.^[8]
• 1957 – in the Lexiconul tehnic român, MDA2's first record.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A motorway, highway: a high-capacity road for motor vehicles only, with several lanes in each direction separated from each other.^[2][4][1]
2. (slang, jocular) A bald patch on the head.^[9]

Related words

• stradă
• auto
• Italian autostrada

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 79
3. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. autostradă
4. ^ 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, 141
5. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. autostradă
6. ^ a b Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 57
7. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 172
9. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. autostradă