coi

Forms

coi n (plural coaie)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin cōleus (“testicle”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Wiktionary sets a Vulgar Latin neuter *coleum between the two, made neuter because testicles come in pairs, hence the Romanian neuter.^[1] It survives in two other branches: Aromanian col'u, plural ⟨coal'e⟩, and Istro-Romanian col'e.^[3][7] The Romance cognates are Italian coglia, Occitan colh, Old French coil and its modern form French couille, and Spanish cojón.^[3][8] Ciorănescu compares Albanian kulje (“hernia”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is from 1592–1604.^[2] Tiktin cites a document of 1621 and the Bible of 1688, whose list of bodily defects in Leviticus includes „să fie cu un coiu” “that he has one testicle”.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

Besides the anatomical sense the word names the sliding weight of a steelyard, and with the plural coiuri a rubber ball.^[2][3] Used familiarly as a masculine noun or adjective it means a bold, energetic man, and cu coaie is “uncastrated”.^[6] Its derivatives are old: coișor appears in a personal name in 1621, coian “a man with large testicles” c. 1650, and coios, also “suffering from hernia”, in 1825.^[2]

Timeline

• 1592–1604 – the first record.^[2]
• 1621 – the diminutive coișor in a personal name, and coi in a document.^[2][5]
• c. 1650 – coian in the glossary of Caransebeș.^[2]
• 1688 – coiu in the Bucharest Bible.^[9][5]
• 1825 – coios in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (vulgar, chiefly in the plural) A testicle;^[4][10][1] coaie “balls”.^[4][10][1]
2. The counterweight of a steelyard.^[3][2][5]

Word family

• coios
• coian
• coișor

Related words

• Aromanian col'u

Usage notes

The word is vulgar in modern use.^[10][1] Its usual plural is coaie;^[6][2] coiuri is rare.^[6][2] Regional coi is also a verb, “to castrate” and reflexively “to dawdle, hesitate”, formed on the noun.^[6][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. coi
3. ^ a b c d e f 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. coi
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 203
5. ^ 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. coi
6. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 456
7. ^ Pascu, Giorge (1925), Dictionnaire étymologique macédoroumain, 2 vols. (I: Les éléments latins et romans; II: Les éléments grecs, turcs, slaves, albanais, germaniques, magyars, néologismes, créations immédiates, obscurs), Iași: Cultura Națională, p. 1, 69
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2038
9. ^ a b Biblia, adecă Dumnezeiasca Scriptură a ceii vechi și a ceii noao leage, București, 1688 (ed. 1988, tricentennial edition), p. Lev 21:20
10. ^ a b c Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. coi