canal

Forms

canal n (plural canale or canaluri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French canal, a borrowing of Latin canālis (“pipe, channel”), from canna (“reed, tube”).^[2][3] DEX, MDA2 and Wiktionary name the Latin word as a second model, and DN also Italian canale.^[4][5][6][1] DELR derives the variant canale from the Italian word, and the senses “broadcasting channel” and “data channel” from English channel.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is from 1782, in a document published in the Romanian Academy's historical records.^[3][2] DA quotes Golescu on two large rivers that have several canals.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The first senses were a water conduit and an artificial waterway joining two rivers or seas;^[7][2] DA names the Suez Canal and a figurative sense, a means or channel of communication, as in news coming through the foreign ministry.^[7][2] Later came a sea strait and the canals that serve as streets in cities on the water, then the anatomical and botanical tubes.^[8][4] The senses of a radio or television channel and a data channel followed the English word.^[2][6] The verb canaliza is recorded from 1862 and canalizație from 1840.^[2]

Timeline

• 1782 – first record, in a document.^[3][2]
• 1840 – canalizație “network of conduits”.^[2]
• 1862 – the verb canaliza and the noun canalicul.^[2]
• 1955 – canalagiu “sewer worker”.^[2]
• 1986 – videocanal.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A canal: an artificial or regulated waterway joining two rivers or a river and a lake, used for shipping, irrigation or hydraulic works; a canal that serves as a street in a city on the water; a narrow sea between two coasts, a strait.^[4][5]
2. A conduit of concrete, pipes or ditches that carries water or other liquids.^[4][9]
3. (anatomy, botany) A tube-shaped duct through which substances circulate in an organism.^[4]
4. A channel of radio or television; a path by which information enters a computer.^[6][9]
5. (figurative) A means, a way by which something is passed on: pe canale diplomatice “through diplomatic channels”.^[5][9]

Word family

• canalagiu
• canalet
• canalicul
• canaliza
• canalizație
• videocanal

Usage notes

The plural is canale or, for waterways, canaluri.^[4][1] DA and MDA2 list a separate masculine canal, a variant of canar “canary”.^[7][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. canal
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. canal
4. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 138
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, 284
6. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. canal
7. ^ 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. canal
8. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. canal
9. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. canal