confort

Forms

confort n (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French confort, with the modern sense after English comfort.^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The French noun comes from the verb conforter, from Late Latin confortō (“to strengthen; to console”), formed on con- and fortis (“strong; brave”).^[2][6][1] The English word was itself borrowed from Old French, where confort meant “strengthening, support”.^[7][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is from Kogălniceanu in 1840.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The word names the conditions that make life pleasant, easy and hygienic, above all in a dwelling: locuință cu confort modern is a flat with electricity, gas, running water and central heating.^[7][3] Barcianu in 1886 still glossed it with German Trost and Stärkung “consolation, strengthening” beside Bequemlichkeit “comfort”.^[8] A short-lived sense “fully upholstered armchair”, found in Ionel Teodoreanu, was a mistaken Gallicism after French confortable.^[7][9]

Romanian took most of the family from French: confortabil 1848, conforta before 1870, confortant 1906, inconfortabil 1932, inconfort 1936;^[8] neconfortabil (1874) was formed on confortabil.^[2] Disconfort (1976) is from English discomfort, adapted to confort.^[2]

Timeline

• 1840 – Kogălniceanu, the first record.^[2][4]
• 1848 – confortabil in Negulici's dictionary.^[2]
• before 1870 – conforta “to strengthen, encourage” in Heliade-Rădulescu.^[2]
• 1874 – neconfortabil in Caragiale.^[2]
• 1886 – Barcianu's “consolation, strengthening; comfort”.^[8]
• 1906 – confortant.^[2]
• 1928 – Cezar Petrescu's Întunecare, MDA2's first record.^[9]
• 1936 – inconfort in Blecher.^[2]
• 1976 – disconfort.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. comfort: the material conditions that make life civilized, pleasant, easy and hygienic, especially in a home: un apartament cu tot confortul.^[3][9][7]
2. (rare, obsolete) A fully upholstered armchair.^[9][7]

Word family

• confortabil
• confortant
• disconfort
• inconfort
• inconfortabil
• neconfortabil
• reconfort
• reconforta
• reconfortant
• reconfortator

References

1. ^ a b c 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. confort
3. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 220
4. ^ 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. confórt
5. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. confort
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e 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. confort
8. ^ a b c Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 128
9. ^ 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, 485