cumpăt

Forms

cumpăt n (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin computus (“calculation, reckoning”), probably through a popular variant *compitus.^[2][3][4][1] This is the view of Philippide, Șăineanu, Candrea and Densusianu, Tiktin, Ciorănescu and DEX.^[2][3] Ciorănescu admits that unstressed /u/ rarely becomes /ă/, and allows that the noun may be a back-formation from the verb cumpăta.^[2][3]

Pușcariu, the DA and the REW derived it instead from Latin compitum (“crossroads”), through the phrase a sta în cumpăt “to hesitate”.^[3][5] Scriban kept the crossroads etymology, adding the influence of the word for “calculation”.^[6][3] Ciorănescu rejects the crossroads etymology: the phrase is rare and arose from confusion with a sta în cumpănă.^[2] He compares Albanian kupëtoń (“to observe”).^[2] DELR records an Aromanian plural cumpite “customs, conduct”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR and Tiktin date the first record to 1610, from D. Bogdan's glossary.^[3][7] The oldest sense DELR gives is a state of doubt and hesitation, followed by discernment, sound judgment and moderation.^[3] The chroniclers use it in phrases such as cu cumpăt bun “with good judgment” and fără cumpăt “recklessly”.^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

In the old language the word covered hesitation before a decision (a sta în cumpăt “to deliberate”), judgment, prudence, opinion, tact, fairness, moderation and good order.^[8][9] The modern language keeps mainly composure and self-control, above all in a-și pierde cumpătul “to lose one's head” and a-și ține cumpătul “to keep calm”.^[7][4][9] A rare sense “trial, time of danger” is close to that of cumpănă.^[10][9] The old adverbial phrase pe sub cumpăt meant “secretly, slyly”.^[4][9]

The verb cumpăta and its noun cumpătare “moderation” are recorded from about 1660.^[3]

Timeline

• 1610 – the first record, cited from D. Bogdan's glossary.^[3][7]
• 1613 – necumpătător “immoderate” in Varlaam's translation of the Ladder.^[3]
• c. 1660 – cumpătare “moderation” and necúmpăt “lack of reason” in the Hronograf.^[3]
• 1840 – necumpătare “intemperance”.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. composure, balance of mind, sound judgment, self-control; cumpătare.^[4][9]
2. (rare) A hard trial, a time of danger.^[4][10]
3. (obsolete) In pe sub cumpăt: secretly, by cunning.^[4][9]

Word family

• cumpăta
• cumpătare
• necumpătat
• necumpătare

Related words

• cumpănă
• Latin computus

Usage notes

The word is mostly used in fixed phrases: a-și pierde cumpătul “to lose one's composure”, a-și ține cumpătul “to keep one's head”, a-și recăpăta cumpătul “to regain one's calm”.^[11][9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. cumpăt
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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. cumpăta
4. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 260
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2099
6. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 377
7. ^ 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. cumpăt
8. ^ a b 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. cumpăt
9. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 571
10. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 604
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. cumpăt