cârlig

Forms

cârlig n (plural cârlige)^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[2][3][1] Ciorănescu, after Graur, takes it as an expressive creation, like bârliga and vârliga, and finds the other explanations unconvincing.^[3] DELR names this view last; it gives first that of Russu, a substrate word from the root Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend”), compared with Latin curvus (“bent”), Ancient Greek κυρτός (kurtós, “curved”) and Albanian kërrus (“to bend”), and notes that the word is found in most Balkan languages, where it may come from Romanian or from the shared substrate.^[2] Densusianu proposed a Turkic source, and Cihac proposed Old Church Slavonic кривъ (krivŭ, “crooked”);^[4][5] Giuglea derived it from Latin calabrix (“buckthorn”), which Ciorănescu finds impossible on every count and the DA calls uncertain.^[2][3][6] The DA leaves the origin unknown and stresses that it is an old pastoral term, found south of the Danube as well.^[6]

It survives in Aromanian cărlig (also cărig) and Megleno-Romanian cărlig, with the sense “shepherd's crook”.^[2][4][5] Bulgarian кърлиг (kărlig, “shepherd's crook; wooden hook”) has no family in the other Slavic languages;^[7] Ciorănescu and the DA take it and the Ukrainian and Russian words for a shepherd's crook as loans from Romanian, and Albanian kërrigë as a loan from Aromanian.^[3][6][7] DEX and MDA2 only compare the Bulgarian word.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a place name of 1389.^[2][10] MDA2 quotes the common noun from a text in Hasdeu's Cuvente den bătrâni dated before 1588.^[9]

Semantic evolution

DELR's earliest senses are a wooden or metal piece with a bent end for hanging or catching things, a shepherd's crook and a vine shoot.^[2] From the hook came the pole for drawing water from a well, the fish hook, the latch of a door and the knitting or crochet needle.^[10][8] Ciorănescu adds senses such as a skeleton key, an anchor, a tanner's knife and, figuratively, a trick or a hidden difficulty.^[3] Phrases include a se face cârlig “to double up” and a pune cârlig “to put a spoke in the wheel”.^[9][8]

The family is large and old: the verb cârliga “to bend like a hook” is known from a place name of 1584, and cârligătură “bend” from one of 1426.^[2] cârlionț “curl of hair”, recorded from 1830, may come from a form *cârligonț, though DEX leaves it unexplained.^[2]

Timeline

• 1389 – a place name, the first record.^[2][10]
• 1426 – cârligătură “bend”, as a place name.^[2]
• 1584 – the verb cârliga, in the place name Cârligata.^[2]
• before 1588 – the common noun in a text published by Hasdeu.^[9]
• 1830 – cârlionț “curl of hair; fishing net”.^[2]
• 1870 – the diminutive cârligel.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A hook: a metal piece with a bent end, used to hang or hold something.^[8][9][1]
2. A pole with a bent end used to draw the bucket from a well.^[8][9]
3. The bent metal part of a fishing line that catches the fish.^[8][9]
4. A latch: a bar or long nail bent at one end that fastens a door or gate.^[8]
5. A knitting needle.^[8]
6. A clothes peg.^[8]
7. (rare) A shoot or tendril of the vine.^[8][2]
8. A shepherd's crook.^[2][10]

Word family

• cârlibonț
• cârliga
• cârligaș
• cârligat
• cârligată
• cârligătură
• cârligel
• cârliguț
• cârlioanță
• cârlionț
• încârliga

Related words

• Aromanian cărlig
• Bulgarian кърлиг (kărlig)

Usage notes

A se face cârlig means “to bend double, to curl up”, for example from pain.^[8][10] A pune cârlig (to something) means to hinder it.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. cârlig
3. ^ a b c d e 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. cârlig
4. ^ a b Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 274
5. ^ a b Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 61
6. ^ 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. cârlig
7. ^ a b Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 3, 209
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 164
9. ^ 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, 344
10. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. cârlig