complice

Forms

complice m (plural complici)^[1] The word is used for women too, with the plural complice.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French complice.^[2][3][4] DELR and Tiktin also name the learned Latin word borrowed from Late Latin complex (“closely joined, associated, implicated”), and Marcu and Maneca add Italian complice.^[4][5][6]

The Latin word took on its bad sense, a partner in wrongdoing, in Christian Latin.^[4] DELR explains it as formed on complicō (“to fold together”) on the pattern of duplex and simplex, the element ⟨-plec-/-plic-⟩ being the root of plectō (“to plait”) and plicō (“to fold”).^[4] The French word, at first complisse (1327), was taken from this Late Latin noun.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR records a one-off variant in a calendar printed in Vienna in 1794, then complice in 1799 in Iorgovici's list of proposed new words; the next record is Negulici's of 1846.^[4] Tiktin dates the word to 1845, MDA2 to 1857, in Aristia's translation of Plutarch's Lives.^[5][3] The sense was one who takes part in another's crime.^[8][9]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word was an adjective as well as a noun: Negulici's dictionary of 1848 enters it as an adjective, “who takes part in another's crime”, and Hasdeu wrote of a complicea Polonie “accomplice Poland”.^[8][9][5] Alecsandri used it figuratively: „Soția lui e groaza, și noaptea-a lui complice!” “Terror is his wife, and the night his accomplice!”^[9][10] DEX defines the modern noun as a person who takes a secondary part in an offence, or who helps, tolerates or hides a reprehensible act.^[2]

The abstract noun complicitate came from French complicité and is recorded from 1848.^[4]

Timeline

• 1794 – a one-off variant in a Vienna calendar.^[4]
• 1799 – in Iorgovici's list of proposed new words.^[4]
• 1846 – in Negulici.^[4]
• 1848 – complicitate “complicity”.^[4]
• 1857 – in Aristia's Plutarch.^[3]
• 1942 – semicomplicitate “partial complicity” in Arghezi.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. An accomplice: a person who takes a secondary part in committing an offence.^[2][3][1]
2. By extension, a person who helps, tolerates or hides someone's reprehensible act.^[2][3]

Word family

• complicitate
• semicomplicitate

Related words

• complex
• complica
• implica
• French complice

Usage notes

Scriban gives the stress cómplice, as in Latin and Italian, beside the usual complíce.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 213
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, 474
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. complice
5. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. complíce
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. complice
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b 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. complice
9. ^ a b c 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. complice
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 507
11. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 324