consum

Forms

consum n (plural consumuri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Konsum, the source that DELR, Ciorănescu, Tiktin and the DA give.^[2][3][4][5] DELR traces the German noun to Italian consumo, from consumare.^[2] The DA, Ciorănescu and Marcu point to the German compound Konsumverein (“consumers' cooperative”) in particular, and the DA calls the word a Transylvanian Germanism.^[5][3][6]

Other dictionaries see it as a back-formation from Romanian consuma: Wiktionary, Wikționar and NODEX derive it from the verb, and the DLRM takes the general sense from the verb and the sense “shop” from German.^[1][7][8][9] MDA2 also gives the verb as the source.^[10] Scriban took it from the Italian noun instead.^[11] The verb itself came from French consumer and Latin cōnsūmō (“to use up, consume”), with senses taken over from consommer.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record of the noun is from 1829, in the sense “consumption, use”.^[4] DELR's first record is in Eminescu's writings, from 1877.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Transylvania the word first stood for the use of goods and for the shop where they were sold: Barcianu's dictionary of 1886 gives dare de consum “consumption tax”, and the DA records consum as a consumers' cooperative or its shop.^[12][5] CADE and the DLRM still list the sense “grocery shop”, which the DLRM marks as dated.^[13][9] Scriban named the cooperativă de consum “consumers' cooperative”.^[11]

The economic sense is now the main one, with set phrases such as bunuri de larg consum “consumer goods” and consum productiv “productive consumption”.^[14][10] Technical language added the sense “amount used up”, as in consum specific “specific consumption”.^[6][14] Marcu & Maneca record societate de consum “consumer society”.^[15]

Timeline

• 1829 – the first record in Tiktin, “consumption”.^[4]
• 1877 – consum in Eminescu.^[2]
• 1886 – dare de consum “consumption tax” in Barcianu's dictionary.^[12]
• 1926 – the derivative consumabil “consumable”.^[2]
• 1931 – magazin de consum “grocery shop” in CADE.^[13]

Meanings

Noun

1. The use of goods and services by people and institutions to meet their needs; consumption;^[14][10] bunuri de larg consum “consumer goods”.^[14][10]
2. The amount of materials, raw materials, fuel or energy used up by a machine or in making a product: consumul de benzină al mașinii “the car's petrol consumption”.^[14][8]
3. (dated) A grocery shop; a consumers' cooperative.^[9][5]

Related words

• consuma
• consumator
• consumabil
• German Konsum

Usage notes

Consum is also the first person singular present of the verb consuma “to consume”.^[10] The noun's plural is consumuri.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. consuma
3. ^ a b 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. consuma
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. consum
5. ^ a b c d 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. consum
6. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. consum
7. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org
8. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. consum
9. ^ a b c Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. consum
10. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 492
11. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 338
12. ^ a b Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 132
13. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. consum
14. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 226
15. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. consum