clovn

Forms

clovn m (plural clovni)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English clown, borrowed from French clown.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary and Tiktin give English alone,^[1][5] while the Academy dictionary takes it from French, which had it from English.^[6] DELR notes that the English word first meant “peasant, boor”.^[2]

The variant claun keeps the English pronunciation; the Academy dictionary says it was read so in Transylvania, after German usage.^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1877, in the journal Familia, in the English spelling clown, for a comic circus artist.^[2] Tiktin's first record is in Alexi's dictionary of 1894,^[5] and MDA2's in Caragiale's Nuvele și fragmente literare (1897).^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its circus sense.^[4] A figurative use, someone who amuses others by clowning, is quoted from 1930 (clown al slovei “a clown of the written word”).^[6][7] The spelling clown survived beside clovn into the mid-20th century.^[8][9]

Timeline

• 1877 – clown in the journal Familia.^[2]
• 1894 – clovn and claun in Alexi's dictionary.^[5]
• 1897 – in Caragiale.^[3]
• 1930 – figurative clown al slovei.^[6]
• 1932 – the derivative clovnerie “clownery”.^[2]
• 1971 – the adjective clovnesc “clownish”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A clown: a comic circus artist who makes people laugh with tricks and dress.^[4][3]
2. (figurative) Someone who amuses others with buffoonery.^[7]

Word family

• clovnerie
• clovnesc

Usage notes

DEX 2009 lists claun as a variant.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. clovn
3. ^ 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, 440
4. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 198
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. clovn
6. ^ 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. clovn
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. clovn
8. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 472
9. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan” (1998), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române, 2nd ed., București: Univers Enciclopedic, p. 189