capac

Forms

capac n (plural capace)^[1] The plural is capace, rarely capacuri.^[2] DELR also records the variant căpac.^[3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish قپاق (kapak, “lid, cover”).^{[4][3][2][5][1]} The Turkish word goes back to Proto-Turkic *kapgak (“cover”).^[1] It belongs to the Ottoman layer of the vocabulary: Șăineanu listed it among the Turkish elements, and it spread through the Balkans, to καπάκι (kapáki), Bulgarian капак (kapak), Albanian kapak and Serbo-Croatian kapak.^[6][4][7] Polish has kapak “glass bell for plants”.^[6]

It survives south of the Danube: Aromanian căpache and Megleno-Romanian capac, both from the Turkish too.^[4][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a document of 1693 that lists a fur with capace, its turned-back trimmings.^[10][6] DELR dates the word from 1705.^[3] Cantemir's Istoria has a figurative lid, „căpacul minciunii” “the lid of the lie” set over the pot of deceit.^[11]

Semantic evolution

The core sense is the movable cover of a pot, box, chest, coffin, well or stove.^[11][5] An inventory of 1809 lists four pans with their lids, and Creangă has a well with its lid open.^[11] Specialised senses followed the shapes of the thing: the turned-back trimming of a fur, a fishing tool, the front flap of old trousers, a leg of beef or mutton, and the somersault of a paper kite (zmeul face capace).^[4][11][10]

Many phrases use the lid figuratively.^[11][5] Și-a găsit tingirea capacul “the pan has found its lid” is said of someone who has met their match.^[11][10] A pune capac cuiva is to silence someone with a fitting reply, a găsi capac la toate to have an answer for everything, and asta pune capac (la toate) means “that beats everything”.^[5][2] In cooking, friptură la capac is meat roasted in a covered pan, and ouă la capac are fried eggs.^[5] In slang the word means a slap on the ear, and in basketball a block over the basket.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 1693 – a fur with capace, the first record.^[10][6]
• 1705 – the first date in DELR.^[3]
• 1809 – „4 tingeri, cu capacele lor” “4 pans with their lids” in the Uricariul.^[11]
• 1871 – the diminutive căpăcel.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A lid or cover: the movable piece placed over the opening of a pot, box or chest to close it.^[5][2][1]
2. (colloquial) a pune capac: to put an end to something or silence someone with an apt reply.^[5][2] Asta pune capac la toate means “that is the last straw”.^[5][2]
3. (cooking) la capac: cooked in a covered pan.^[5]
4. (slang) a slap on the ear.^[12][1]
5. (dated or regional) the turned-back trimming of a fur, the front flap of old trousers, a fishing tool, the somersault of a kite.^[4][11][10]

Word family

• căpăcel

Related words

• Aromanian căpache
• Ottoman Turkish قپاق (kapak)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 289
3. ^ a b c d e 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. capac
4. ^ 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. capac
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 141
6. ^ a b c d Șăineanu, Lazăr (1900), Influența orientală asupra limbei și culturei române, vol. I: Introducerea; vol. II.1: Vorbele populare; vol. II.2: Vorbele istorice, literare, Indice, București: Socec, p. II.1, 86
7. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 2, 214
8. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 267
9. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 58
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. capac
11. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. capac
12. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. capac