confirmare

Forms

confirmare f (plural confirmări)^[1]

Etymology

It is the long infinitive of confirma, formed from Romanian confirma + -re.^[2][3][4][1] The verb is confirmer and learned cōnfirmō, and DELR also allows konfirmieren; the Latin verb is made of con- and firmō (“to strengthen”), from firmus (“firm, strong”).^[5][2][1]

Tiktin notes that the noun displaced the older confirmație and confirmațiune, from New Latin cōnfirmātiō and confirmation.^[4] DELR dates the older noun to 1717–1723 in Cantemir and traces its variants comfermație and comfermațione to Italian confermazione.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is a text of Radu Popescu of 1728, with the senses “confirmation, corroboration”.^[4] MDA2's first record is a Moldavian document of before 1774 printed in the Uricariul, where it means making someone's position definitive.^[3] The noun is thus recorded before the verb, which Tiktin dates to 1735 and DELR to 1794.^[6][5]

Semantic evolution

The legal senses came early: the ratification of a document, the upholding of a lower court's sentence, and a party's waiver of the right to seek the annulment of a deed.^[3][7][2] Laurian and Massim illustrate the verb with a prince confirming and sanctioning the laws voted by the chambers.^[8] For the Catholic sacrament that completes baptism, CADE records confirmare beside confirmațiune.^[7] In current use it is mainly the corroboration of a statement or the approval of a measure by a competent body.^[2]

Timeline

• 1717-1723 – the older noun confirmație in Cantemir.^[5]
• 1728 – confirmare in Radu Popescu, the first record.^[4]
• 1735 – the verb confirma, and confirmălui from konfirmieren.^[6][5]
• before 1774 – a Moldavian document in the Uricariul.^[3]
• 1862 – Pontbriant glosses it “confirmation, assurance, ratification”.^[9]
• 1931 – CADE records the Catholic sense and the negative neconfirmare.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of confirming and its result; confirmation, corroboration: Așteptăm confirmarea rezervării.^[2][1]
2. (law) A declaration by which a person entitled to seek the annulment of a deed recognises it as valid.^[2][3]
3. (law) The approval of a deed or of a procedural measure by the competent authority, as of an arrest warrant.^[2][10]
4. The making definitive of someone's position or post.^[3][10]
5. (Catholic Church) The sacrament that completes baptism, given to children over seven; confirmație.^[2][3]

Word family

• neconfirmare

Related words

• confirma
• confirmație
• ferm

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 220
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 484
4. ^ 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. confirmare
5. ^ 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. confirma
6. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. confirma
7. ^ a b c Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. confirmare
8. ^ Laurian, A. T.; Massim, I. C. (1871–1876), Dictionariulu limbei romane, 2 vols., Bucuresci: Noua Typographia a Laboratoriloru Romani, p. s.v. confirmare
9. ^ Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 149
10. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. confirmare