bijuterie

Forms

bijuterie f (plural bijuterii)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French bijouterie (“jewellery; jeweller's shop”).^[2][3][4][1] The French word is formed on bijou (“jewel”) with -erie and an intrusive ⟨t⟩.^[1] DELR derives the French word from Breton bizou (“finger ring”), from biz (“finger”), the usual view;^[2][5] Guiraud proposed instead a derivative of biseler (“to bevel”), which the DHLF finds unlikely because the first record is Breton.^[2][5] DELR records the old variant bigiutărie.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is from 1833, in a periodical.^[2][3] The DA still labelled it a Gallicism and explained it by the older giuvaier.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides the jewel itself, the word named the jewellery trade and the jeweller's shop.^[7][2] Scriban recorded the figurative use for a small, elegant thing: a house can be a real bijuterie.^[8] Recent press language applies it to a person of great worth and to a fine technical feat in sport.^[9][10] From the same French family Romanian took bijutier “jeweller” (1862) and the colloquial biju (1977).^[2]

Timeline

• 1833 – the first record, in a periodical.^[2][3]
• 1862 – bijutier “jeweller” in Antonescu's dictionary.^[2]
• 1931 – CADE gives the senses “jewel” and “jewellery trade”.^[7]
• 1939 – Scriban records the figurative “small, elegant thing”.^[8]
• 1977 – biju, written bijou-uri in the plural.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A piece of jewellery made of precious metal, often set with precious stones; giuvaier.^[4][11][1]
2. (figurative) Something small, elegant and valuable.^[12][10]
3. (figurative, colloquial) A dear, highly valued person.^[10][9]
4. A jeweller's shop, where jewellery is made and sold.^[4][11][1]

Related words

• bijutier
• biju
• giuvaier

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. bijuterie
3. ^ 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. bijuterie
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 103
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ 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. bijuterie
7. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. bijuterie
8. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 169
9. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. bijuterie
10. ^ a b c Dima, Eugenia (coord.) (2007), Dicționar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române, Chișinău: Arc / Gunivas, p. s.v. bijuterie
11. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 205
12. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România