circ

Forms

circ n (plural circuri)^[1] Negulici's dictionary of neologisms (1848) spells it чirк in the transitional alphabet and defines it as „Λoк destinat пentrꙋ jꙋкꙋrǐ пꙋbʌiчe, пentrꙋ aʌʌerгъtꙋre” “a place meant for public games, for races”.^[2] Old Transylvanian variants are țirc and țircus.^[3][4][5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French cirque, together with the Latin circus, a learned borrowing of the 19th century;^[3][4][6][1] DELR adds Italian circo as a further model.^[3][4][6][1] Tiktin names the Italian word as the source, perhaps through another language.^[5] Gabinschi treats it as an international word of Latin origin that reached Romanian through French, German Zirkus and Russian цирк (cirk).^[7] The old variants with /ts/ come from the German word.^[3]

The Latin word meant “circle” before it came to mean “circus”.^[3][8] De Vaan considers it probably a loan from Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos, “ring”), also κίρκος (kírkos), of uncertain origin.^[8] The inherited cerc “circle” belongs to the same Latin family.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1815.^[5][3] The 19th-century dictionaries define it first as the Roman arena for public games and chariot races: Negulici in 1848, Costinescu in 1870.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Costinescu already adds the modern sense, an open-air ring for exercises with horses.^[9] CADE in 1931 distinguishes the Roman building from the covered round hall where equestrian and acrobatic shows are given.^[10] The modern dictionaries put the show itself first: acrobats, trained animals and clowns, and the company that performs it.^[6][4] Geology took the word for a round hollow carved by a glacier, also called căldare, and circ lunar is a lunar crater.^[4][6]

In colloquial speech a circ is a noisy scene, a scandal, unseemly behaviour or, of politicians, a grotesque spectacle.^[11] The large food halls of Bucharest begun before 1990 and left unfinished are known as circurile foamei “the circuses of hunger”.^[12]

Timeline

• 1815 – the first record.^[5][3]
• before 1834 – circ in a document of the Uricariul collection.^[4]
• 1848 – чirк in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[2]
• 1870 – circu in Costinescu's dictionary, for the Roman arena and the riding ring.^[9]
• 1957 – the derivative circar “circus performer”.^[3]
• 2001 – circurile foamei for the unfinished food halls of Bucharest, in the press.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A circus: a show of acrobatics, gymnastics, trained animals and clowns, or the company that puts it on.^[6][4][1]
2. A round building with an arena in the middle and seats rising around it, where such shows are held.^[6][4]
3. (history) An open-air enclosure shaped like an amphitheatre, where the Romans held public games and races.^[6][4]
4. (geology) A cirque: a deep round hollow cut by a glacier in high mountains.^[6][4]
5. (colloquial) A noisy scene, an uproar, a farce: Ce circ au făcut vecinii azi-noapte!^[11]

Word family

• circar

Related words

• cerc
• Latin circus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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. circ
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. circ
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 412
5. ^ 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. circ
6. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 188
7. ^ a b Gabinschi, Marcu (2001), Dicționar de dublete etimologice ale limbii române, 2nd ed., Chișinău: Litera, p. 77
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 193
10. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. circ
11. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. circ
12. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. circ