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
From the same root
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
- A condition: a fact or circumstance on which a phenomenon depends, or that hinders or furthers an action.[6][2]
- (in the plural) The circumstances in which something happens;[6] condiții de mediu “environmental conditions”.[6]
- A clause of an agreement or negotiation, a term;[6][5] fără condiții “unconditionally”;[6][5] cu condiția să “provided that”.[6][5]
- (law) A future and uncertain event on which a right or obligation depends; a person's legal situation.[6]
- A person's social standing.[6][5]
- (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
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ 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
- ^ Pisone, Domițian (1865), Dictionariu românescu, latinescu, germanescu și francescu, lucrat după sistemul Lexiconului de Buda, București: Typografia Ioann Weiss, p. 87
- ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. condiție
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Condiție.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/condi%C8%9Bie. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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