contract

Forms

contract n (plural contracte)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin contractus (“drawing together; transaction, contract”), a learned loan, as DELR, DEX and Tiktin give it, with borrowed from French contrat as a second model in DEX, MDA2, the DA and CADE.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} Ciorănescu dates the Latin word to the 18th century and allows the French word remodelled after act;^[1] DELR and Tiktin also name German Kontrakt.^[8][2][5] The Latin noun comes from contrahō (“to draw together; to conclude a bargain”), from con- and trahō (“to draw”).^[2][1]

The popular condrat is Modern Greek κοντράτο (kontráto), from Italian contratto.^[2][9] The variant contractuș reflects the Hungarian pronunciation of the Latin word, and contrat is the French form.^[2] Tiktin compares Hungarian kontraktus and Turkish kontrat.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the first record to 1758, in a document edited by Iorga.^[2] Tiktin's first record is of 1764.^[5] MDA2 cites Șincai's chronicle, printed in 1853: „Au făcut contracte de supunere cu dânsul” “they made contracts of submission with him”.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

From the agreement itself the word passed to the written deed that records it, a sense the DA illustrates with contracts of lease, sale, marriage and insurance.^[6][4] The old plural contracturi appears in the civil code of Moldavia and in Pann.^[6][5] The contract social is the philosophers' theory, Rousseau's among them, of an agreement at the origin of the state.^[6][3] Contract de muncă “employment contract” became the usual term in the 20th century.^[3][4]

DELR dates the family: contractor from 1813, contractier from 1818 (probably Russian), contracta “to conclude a contract” and contractant from 1829, both from French, and condrăcher, the man who made the village's contract with the landlord, from 1893.^[2]

Timeline

• 1758 – contract in a document edited by Iorga, the first record.^[2]
• 1764 – contract, Tiktin's first record.^[5]
• 1813 – contractor “contractor”.^[2]
• 1825 – contractu in the Lexicon de la Buda, with Latin contractus and Hungarian kontraktus.^[10]
• 1829 – contracta “to contract” and contractant “contracting party”.^[2]
• 1893 – condrăcher, the man who contracted for a village.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An agreement between two or more persons or bodies from which rights and obligations follow; the written deed that records it; a contract, convention.^[3][1]
2. contract de muncă: an employment contract between an employee and an employer.^[3][4]
3. (philosophy) contract social: the theory that explains the state by an agreement between individuals, or between them and the ruler.^[3][6]

Word family

• contracciu
• contracta
• contractier
• contractual
• precontract
• precontractual
• subcontract
• contractant

Related words

• Latin contractus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. contract
3. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 228
4. ^ 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, 496
5. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. contract
6. ^ a b c d e f 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. contract
7. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. contract
8. ^ 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. contract
9. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 340
10. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 137