Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Romanian word condiție

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1676 a document published by Iorga More words from the 17th century
Borrowed from
Latin condicio
Ultimate origin
Latin dīcō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin dīcō
French dire
Italian dire
Romanian zice
Spanish decir
Latin condīcō
Latin condiciō
French condition
Romanian condiție
Italian condizione
Spanish condición
From the same root
English ditto ← dīcō
Latin addīcō ← dīcō
Latin benedīcō ← dīcō
Latin contrādīcō ← dīcō
Latin dicax ← dīcō
Latin dicis ← dīcō
Latin dictiō ← dīcō
Latin dictō ← dīcō
Latin ēdīcō ← dīcō
Latin fātidicus ← dīcō
Latin indīcō ← dīcō
Latin interdīcō ← dīcō
Latin iūdex ← dīcō
Latin maledīcō ← dīcō
Latin praedicō ← dīcō
Latin valedīcō ← dīcō
Latin vindex ← dīcō
Latin condiciōnālis ← condiciō

Pronunciation

  • /konˈdit͡si.e/[1]

Forms

condiție f (plural condiții)[1] Old variants are condițion (neuter), condițione and condițiune.[2][3] The Civil Code has condițiune: „locatarul a primit lucrul închiriat sau arendat în starea în care locatarul era dator a-l preda și trebue să-l restitue în aceeași condițiune” “the tenant received the thing rented in the state in which he was bound to hand it over, and must return it in the same condition”.[4][5]

Etymology

DELR gives several sources: the learned borrowed from Latin condiciō, borrowed from Hungarian kondíció, and later also borrowed from French condition, German Kondition and Italian condizione.[2] Tiktin likewise takes it from New Latin and compares the Italian, French and German words.[5] The DA takes it from French with the Latin word as a model, and MDA2, DEX 2009 and Wiktionary from French alone.[4][3][6][1]

The Latin word first meant an agreement, a formula of understanding between two persons; it comes from condīcō (“to agree, settle”), from con- and dīcō (“to say”), and is formed in the same way as diciō (“command, authority”).[2] Manuscripts and editions often write it ⟨conditio⟩, which is properly the spelling of conditiō (“seasoning”).[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is a document of 1676 published by Iorga.[2] Tiktin's first date is 1705, in Cantemir.[5] MDA2 cites the Moldavian civil code of 1833 first.[3]

Semantic evolution

Two senses were there early: a term or stipulation, and a state or position.[8] The Lexicon de la Buda explains conditie as a point or limitation, with German Bedingung, and as a status or lot, with German Stand and Zustand.[8] Pisone in 1865 explains it with stare.[9] Tiktin records the sense of legal or social standing, de condiție “of good family”, the conjunction cu condiția (ca) să “provided that”, and condiție fizică “physical form”.[5] In the plural it came to mean the circumstances in which something happens.[4][6]

The family grew in the 19th century: condiționat “conditioned” is recorded in 1799, condițional (first condiționel) in Heliade-Rădulescu's grammar of 1828, and necondiționat “unconditional” in 1835–1836.[2]

Timeline

  • 1676 – the first record, in a document published by Iorga.[2]
  • 1705 – in Cantemir.[5]
  • 1799 – the participle condiționat in Micu.[2]
  • 1825 – conditie “stipulation; state” in the Lexicon de la Buda.[8]
  • 1828 – condiționel “conditional” in Heliade-Rădulescu's grammar.[2]
  • 1833 – in the Moldavian civil code.[3]
  • 1835–1836 – necondiționat “unconditional” in Murgu.[2]
  • 1960 – recondiționa “to recondition”.[2]
  • 1962 – intercondiționa “to be interdependent”.[2]
  • 1966 – condiționalism, a philosophical term.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A condition: a fact or circumstance on which a phenomenon depends, or that hinders or furthers an action.[6][2]
  2. (in the plural) The circumstances in which something happens;[6] condiții de mediu “environmental conditions”.[6]
  3. A clause of an agreement or negotiation, a term;[6][5] fără condiții “unconditionally”;[6][5] cu condiția să “provided that”.[6][5]
  4. (law) A future and uncertain event on which a right or obligation depends; a person's legal situation.[6]
  5. A person's social standing.[6][5]
  6. (sport) condiție fizică “physical fitness”.[6]

Word family

  • condiționa
  • condiționalism
  • intercondiționa
  • necondiționat
  • recondiționa
  • condițional

Usage notes

De condiție “of good family, of standing” is an older expression.[5] CADE refers condiție to the older form condițiune.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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. condiție
  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, 482
  4. ^ 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. condiție
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. condiție
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 218
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 135
  9. ^ Pisone, Domițian (1865), Dictionariu românescu, latinescu, germanescu și francescu, lucrat după sistemul Lexiconului de Buda, București: Typografia Ioann Weiss, p. 87
  10. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. condiție

Related etymologies

  • tău · also from Hungarian
  • baie · also from Hungarian
  • suci · also from Hungarian
  • must · also from Hungarian
  • ban · also from Hungarian
  • gândi · also from Hungarian
  • fel · also from Hungarian
  • seamă · also from Hungarian
Cite this entry

“Condiție.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/condi%C8%9Bie. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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