conductă

Forms

conductă f (plural conducte)^[1]

Etymology

The dictionaries disagree on its source.^[2][3] In DEX, NODEX and Wiktionary it is borrowed from Latin conductus (“led, conveyed”), the past participle of condūcō (“to lead together”);^[2][4][1] the DLRM adds French conduit as a model.^[5] The DN compares Latin and German forms, and the MDN gives German alone;^[6][7][8] MDA2 names a French source.^[6][7][8]

DELR derives it within Romanian from the plural of the older neuter conduct, possibly after French conduite, which French used for a pipe beside the masculine.^[3] Ciorănescu also forms it on the French word, among the derivatives of conduce.^[9] The neuter itself, recorded from 1822, comes from New Latin conductum and German Kondukt.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates it to 1907, in Mehedinți, as a pipe for water, gas or oil.^[3] MDA2's first record is later, a mechanical engineering textbook of 1949.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The neuter conduct had the older sense of a pipe as well, beside an anatomical duct and, in Transylvania and Bucovina, a convoy or procession; the feminine took over the pipe.^[3] From pipes for fluids the word spread to the wires and cables that carry electric current.^[6][8][10] DEX now defines conductă electrică as a long conductor or set of conductors in an electrical installation.^[2]

Timeline

• 1822 – the neuter conduct in Bobb's dictionary.^[3]
• 1907 – conductă “pipe for water, gas or oil” in Mehedinți.^[3]
• 1949 – a mechanical engineering textbook, MDA2's first record.^[8]
• 1955–1957 – the DLRLC records the sense of an electric wire or cable.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A pipe or system of pipes, of metal, concrete or wood, that carries fluids or powdery materials; a pipeline.^[2][8]
2. A wire or cable that carries electric current;^[2][6][4] conductă electrică, a long electric conductor.^[2][6][4]

Related words

• conduct
• conduce
• conductor
• conduită

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 219
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. conduce
4. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. conductă
5. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. conductă
6. ^ a b c d e Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. conductă
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. conductă
8. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 483
9. ^ 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. conduce
10. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 518