colier

Forms

colier n (plural coliere)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French collier.^[2][3][4][5] An old variant was coliet.^[2][5]

The French word comes from Latin collāre and its altered form collārium, formed on collum (“neck”).^[2][6] Old French had two forms, coler and colier, and the second prevailed.^[6] The DA notes that the same Latin family gave Romanian guler and colar.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the word to 1830.^[5] Nicolae Filimon's novel Ciocoii vechi și noi (1862–1863) speaks of necklaces of diamonds and rubies taken from a box.^[3][2][8]

Semantic evolution

Besides the necklace, the word named the gold chain from which a high order's decoration hangs.^[7][9] Figuratively it is a ring or belt of something, as in Cezar Petrescu's colierul luminilor “the necklace of lights” along grey walls.^[7][10] In engineering it now names a ring-shaped clamp that holds pipes or parts together.^[4][11]

Timeline

• 1830 – first record.^[5]
• 1862–1863 – necklaces of diamonds in Filimon's Ciocoii vechi și noi.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A necklace: a string of beads, pearls or precious stones worn around the neck.^[4][3]
2. (figurative) A ring or belt of something.^[4]
3. The gold chain from which the decoration of a high order hangs; also called colan.^[3][7]
4. A ring- or bracelet-shaped clamp, usually of metal, that holds parts or pipes together.^[4]

Related words

• guler
• French collier

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. colier
3. ^ 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, 461
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 206
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. colier
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ 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. colier
8. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. colier
9. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 317
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 491
11. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. colier