Etymology and origin of the Romanian word cravată
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1832 More words from the 19th century
- Borrowed from
- French cravate
- Ultimate origin
- Serbo-Croatian Hrvat
Forms
cravată f (plural cravate)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from French cravate.[2][3][4][5][1] Ciorănescu names Italian cravatta beside the French word, and the DN compares it.[6][7]
The French word comes from dialectal German Krawat (“Croat”), from Serbo-Croatian Hrvat (“Croat”): the neckcloth was first copied from the dress of Croatian horsemen.[2][8] The DHLF adds that the Croatian light cavalry served France from the reign of Louis XIII, and that the sense “neckband” appeared about 1650.[9] The word is thus an etymological doublet of croat.[10]
Aromanian has cravatã, but it came by another road: from Italian through Modern Greek κραβάτα (kraváta).[6][11][12][13]
Earliest recorded meaning
Tiktin dates the first record to 1832, and DELR to 1840, in the vocabulary of Poenaru, Aaron and Hill.[5][2] The sense is the one it still has, a band of cloth tied around the neck.[2]
Semantic evolution
The neuter cravat, recorded by Stamati and Pontbriant for a neckband, did not last.[14][2] The DA adds the ribbon from which a high decoration hangs, and by extension the decoration itself.[14][15] Under communism cravată roșie or cravată de pionier was the red triangular scarf of the Pioneers.[4][3] In nautical use it is also an extra rope that holds the anchor.[16]
Timeline
- 1832 – the first record.[5]
- 1840 – in the vocabulary of Poenaru, Aaron and Hill.[2]
- 1894 – cravata in Vlahuță's novel Dan.[3][14]
- 1933 – cravatieră “woman who makes or sells ties”.[2]
- 1966 – cravatier “tie maker or seller”.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- A necktie: a narrow band of cloth or silk knotted at the neck, its ends hanging down the chest.[4][3][1]
- (obsolete) The red neckerchief of the Pioneers: cravată roșie, cravată de pionier.[4][3]
- The ribbon of a high decoration; by extension the decoration itself.[14][15]
- (nautical) An extra rope that holds the anchor.[16]
Word family
- cravatier
Related words
- croat
- Aromanian cravatã
Usage notes
The plural is cravate; in Moldavia the DA also records cravăți and crăvăți, and Camil Petrescu used crăvăți.[14][17]
References
- ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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. cravată
- ^ 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, 538
- ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 246
- ^ 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. cravată
- ^ 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. cravată
- ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. cravată
- ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 361
- ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Gabinschi, Marcu (2001), Dicționar de dublete etimologice ale limbii române, 2nd ed., Chișinău: Litera, p. 65
- ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 308
- ^ Pascu, Giorge (1925), Dictionnaire étymologique macédoroumain, 2 vols. (I: Les éléments latins et romans; II: Les éléments grecs, turcs, slaves, albanais, germaniques, magyars, néologismes, créations immédiates, obscurs), Iași: Cultura Națională, p. 1, 206
- ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 334
- ^ 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. cravată
- ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. cravată
- ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. cravată
- ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 569
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Cravată.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/cravat%C4%83. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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