balcon

Forms

balcon n (plural balcoane)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French balcon, with Italian balcone as a second source.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} DELR also names German Balkon.^[3] DEX and the DA give French alone, and Wiktionary too.^[7][8][1] The French word was taken from the Italian in the 16th century, and the Italian word comes from Lombardic *balko (“beam”), related to German Balken (“beam”).^[9][3][10]

The word is also found as Aromanian balcone, which Papahagi takes from Modern Greek μπαλκόνι (balkóni), itself from the Italian.^[11][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Predetici's dictionary of 1792–1793, with the sense of a platform with a railing on the outside wall of a building.^[3][5] MDA2 dates it only from Costache Negruzzi's works, published in 1872, where the doors of the bishop's balcony open and the saint appears.^[4][8]

Semantic evolution

By 1870 Costinescu's dictionary gave both the open gallery in front of a house and the small galleries on either side of a theatre's forestage.^[12] The theatre sense became the upper tier above the stalls of a hall.^[7][13] Slang uses the plural for a woman's large breasts.^[4][14]

In Bessarabia and the Moldovan dialect texts balcon also names the traditional porch, the cerdac.^[15] The diminutive balconaș is recorded from 1897.^[3][5]

Timeline

• 1792–1793 – in Predetici's dictionary, the first record.^[3][5]
• 1870 – the house and theatre senses in Costinescu's dictionary.^[12]
• 1872 – in Costache Negruzzi's works, MDA2's first record.^[4][8]
• 1897 – the diminutive balconaș.^[3]
• 1931 – the theatre gallery in front of the stage in CADE.^[13]

Meanings

Noun

1. A balcony: a platform with a railing on the outside wall of a building, opening into the rooms by one or more doors.^[7][4][1]
2. The gallery or circle of a theatre or lecture hall, above the stalls.^[7][4]
3. (colloquial) A ticket for a seat in the balcony.^[4]
4. (slang, in the plural) A woman's large breasts.^[4][14][1]
5. (regional, Bessarabia) A porch, a cerdac.^[15]

Word family

• balconaș

Related words

• Aromanian balcone

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b 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. balcon
3. ^ 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. balcon
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 159
5. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. balcón
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. balcon
7. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 86
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. balcon
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. balcon
10. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier, p. s.v. balcone
11. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 190
12. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 94
13. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. balcon
14. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. balcon
15. ^ a b Stati, Vasile (2003), Dicționar moldovenesc-românesc, Chișinău, p. s.v. balcon