continuu

Forms

continuu m or n (feminine singular continuă, masculine plural continui, feminine/neuter plural continue)^[1] An old variant contin is also recorded.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin continuus (“uninterrupted, continuous”), a learned borrowing, with French continu as a second model: DELR, DEX and MDA2 give both, while DER, Tiktin and Wiktionary name only Latin and DA only French.^{[2][3][4][5][6][1][7]} The Latin adjective is formed on contineō (“to hold together”) with -uus, and that verb on teneō (“to hold”).^[8][2] Graur lists ține and conteni in the same Latin family.^[9]

The old adjective continualnic of 1813 was a separate borrowing, of German kontinuell, with the Romanian ending -alnic.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1815, in Nicoară.^[6] DELR's is of 1816, in a work of Maior.^[2] MDA2 dates the word to Bălcescu's history of Michael the Brave: „omenirea merge într-un progres continuu” “mankind moves in continuous progress”.^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

The adjective is often used as an adverb, alone or as în continuu, later written încontinuu, “all the time”.^[7][2] Tiktin quotes Teleor: „un aparat care făcea de patrusprezece ani încontinuu anumite mișcări” “a machine that for fourteen years had been making the same movements without a stop”.^[6] Technical uses followed from French: curent continuu “direct current”, funcție continuă in mathematics, bas continuu in music and, in phonetics, the continuant consonants.^[4][3]

Timeline

• 1815 – the first record, in Nicoară.^[6]
• 1816 – in Maior.^[2]
• 1846 – the derivative discontinuitate in Laurian.^[2]
• 1864 – discontinuu in the Civil Code.^[2]
• 1939 – the adverb incontinuu, later încontinuu.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. continuous, uninterrupted, going on without a pause; often used as an adverb, “all the time”: Plouă continuu de trei zile.^[3][1]
2. (physics) In curent continuu: a direct current, an electric current flowing in one direction.^[3]
3. (mathematics) Of a function: changing very little for a small change of its variables.^[4]
4. (linguistics) Of consonants: continuant, constrictiv.^[3]

Word family

• încontinuu
• necontinuu
• discontinuu
• continuitate
• discontinuitate

Related words

• continua
• conține
• ține
• Latin continuus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. continuu
3. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 227
4. ^ 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, 495
5. ^ 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. continuu
6. ^ 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. continuu
7. ^ 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. continuu
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. continuus
9. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 249