crăpăt

Forms

crăpăt n (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

DEX and MDA2 take it as formed in Romanian, from Romanian crăpa + -ăt, on the verb meaning “to crack, burst”.^[2][3][1] The DA, under the variant crăpet, derives it from Latin crepitus (“crack, crash”), drawn in sense to the verb, and finds the “heat” sense unclear.^[4] Ciorănescu doubts the Latin source and prefers an internal derivative: the “heat” is the heat that makes one die, the verb in the sense “to die”.^[5] The verb crăpa is crepō (“to creak, crack”).^[5]

Semantic evolution

Its senses are all regional.^[4][2] The DA records “daybreak” (crepetul de zori, in Slavici), “great heat” (Oltenia;^[4][3] Ciaușanu's glossary), “the devil” and, after a negation, “nothing at all” (nu știe crăpăt, Rucăr).^[4][3] NODEX gives a popular, derogatory sense “food, grub”, from a crăpa “to eat greedily”.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional) Intense heat, scorching sun.^[2][3][4]
2. (regional) daybreak, dawn.^[4][1]
3. (regional) The devil.^[4]
4. (popular, derogatory) Food, grub.^[6]

Related words

• crăpa
• crăpătură

Usage notes

The DA lists the word under crăpet, with the variants crăpăt, crepet and crepăt.^[4][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 246
3. ^ 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, 539
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. crăpet
5. ^ 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. crăpa
6. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. crăpăt