chiar

Forms

chiar^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin clārus (“loud; bright, clear”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} De Vaan derives the Latin adjective from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁-, with the same shift from “loud” to “clear” as in German hell.^[5][1] The Istro-Romanian form is cľår; the Romance cognates include Italian chiaro, French clair and Spanish claro.^[2][3][6] It is a doublet of clar, a later loan.^[1]

The old adjective “clear, pure” became the adverb “even, exactly”, and Ciorănescu compares Italian pure, Latin pure, German rein and the adverbial use of Romanian curat.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the word to 1561, as an adjective and adverb meaning “clear, pure; clearly”.^[3] Tiktin's first record is Coresi's Homiliary of 1564, and MDA2's Varlaam's Cazania of 1643.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective was common in the old texts: Ia păharul vinului acestui chiar “take the cup of this pure wine” (Bible of 1688), and Cantemir's chiară inimă “a sincere heart”.^[7][2] By Klein's dictionary of 1801 it was already old as an adjective.^[8] It survives in din chiar senin “out of the blue”, literally “out of the clear sky”, and in apă chioară “thin, watery drink”, originally apă chiară “clear water”, where the adjective was confused with chior “one-eyed”.^[2][3][1] P. Tănase took the phrase from chior itself, and Buescu linked it with Spanish chirla.^[2]

As an adverb it passed from “clearly, purely” to “really, indeed” and then to the modern “exactly, precisely”, “oneself, the very one” and “even”.^[2][4][9] Ruthenian borrowed it as an adverb “indeed”, according to Candrea.^[2][10] DELR dates the derivative cheri “to explain” and preachiar “very clearly” to the 19th century.^[3]

Timeline

• 1561 – the first record, DELR.^[3]
• 1564 – in Coresi's Homiliary.^[7]
• 1643 – Varlaam's Cazania, MDA2's first record.^[4]
• 1688 – the adjective chiar “pure” in the Bucharest Bible.^[7]
• 1825 – cheri “to explain” and necherit “unclear”.^[3]
• 1834 – preachiar “very clearly”.^[3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. exactly, just, precisely: plec chiar acum “I'm leaving right now”; oneself, the very one: era chiar fratele lui “it was his own brother”.^[9]
2. even: chiar dacă “even if”;^[9][1] nici chiar “not even”; already: chiar din prima zi “from the very first day”.^[9][1]
3. really, indeed, in fact.^[9][4]
4. (obsolete) Clearly, plainly.^[9]

Adjective

1. (obsolete) clear, pure, limpid; sincere.^[9][4]

Word family

• cheri
• preachiar

Related words

• clar

Usage notes

Tiktin has a separate obsolete noun chiar “profit” (1776), from Turkish kâr, which is a different word.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. chiar
3. ^ 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. chiar
4. ^ 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, 376
5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ Byhan, Arthur (1899), Istrorumänisches Glossar, Sechster Jahresbericht des Instituts für rumänische Sprache zu Leipzig: 174–366, p. 242
7. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. chiar
8. ^ Gáldi, László (ed.) (1944), Samuel Klein: Dictionarium valachico-latinum. Primul dicționar al limbii române, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Pázmány Péter Tudományegyetemi Román Intézet (Klein's dictionary of 1801, with Gáldi's etymological study), p. 239
9. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 177
10. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. 59
11. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. chiar 2