certificat

Forms

certificat n (plural certificate)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French certificat and directly borrowed from Medieval Latin certificatum.^[2][3][4][1] The DA and Tiktin give the Latin word alone, CADE French alone.^[5][6][7] DELR adds German Zertifikat after Ursu, and DN names Italian certificato too.^[2][8] The Medieval Latin noun is the neuter past participle of certificō (“to confirm, assure”), formed on certus (“certain”) and faciō (“to make”).^[9] French borrowed it in 1380.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR and Tiktin date the first record to 1837, in the spelling țertificat, with the sense of an official paper attesting a fact.^[2][6] Negulici's dictionary of 1848 explains it with the older words atestat and adeverință.^[10]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to the administrative vocabulary of the 19th century, beside certifica (1848) and certificație (1851).^[2] The DA, CADE and Șăineanu record certificates of study, of good conduct, of nationality and medical ones, and by extension a proof or guarantee.^[5][7][11] Modern dictionaries add the voter's certificate and the prenuptial medical certificate.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1837 – țertificat, the first record.^[2][6]
• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[10]
• 1848 – the verb certifica.^[2]
• 1851 – certificație “attestation”.^[2]
• 1871 – in Laurian and Massim's dictionary.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. An official document that confirms a fact or the authenticity of a paper, or attests a quality that gives its holder certain rights; a certificate.^[3][4][1]
2. (by extension) Proof, guarantee.^[5]

Related words

• certifica
• cert
• certitudine

Usage notes

Set phrases include certificat de naștere “birth certificate”, certificat de alegător “voter's certificate” and certificat prenupțial, a medical certificate for those about to marry.^[12][3] The same form certificat is also the past participle of the verb certifica “to certify”, which has its own entry.^[2][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. cert
3. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 173
4. ^ 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, 366
5. ^ 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. certificat
6. ^ 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. certificat
7. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. certificat
8. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. certificat
9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. certificat
11. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 120
12. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. certificat