cumva

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian cum + -va: cum (“how”) with the indefinite element taken from the old third-person singular present of vrea (“to want”).^[2][1][3][4] Ciorănescu likewise lists it among the derivatives of the adverb, with the second part from the verb.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of the early 16th century, with the sense “in some way”.^[2][6] MDA2 cites the Codicele Voronețean, where Paul's companions hope „doară vor putea cumva agiunge în Finichiia” “if by any means they might reach Phoenicia”.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense, “in some way, somehow”, stood beside “perhaps, by chance” from the 16th century: Coresi has the disciples fearing that they had “perhaps” lost the good.^[3] After a negation it gives an anxious or ironic question, nu cumva…? “is it not perhaps…?”, and a warning, să nu cumva să… “don't you dare…”.^[8][7][9] Old texts also have de cumva “perhaps” and care cumva “something by chance”.^[7] The 17th-century Slavonic–Romanian lexicons use it to render Slavonic “lest perhaps”.^[10] Romanian formed oarecumva “somewhat” by 1691–1697 and altcumva “otherwise” by 1879.^[2] An older form cumvași occurs in Anton Pann: „Vrând să afle cumvași De are în el vrăjmași” “wanting to find out somehow whether he has enemies in him”.^[3][7]

Timeline

• c. 1500-1520 – the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, Psalm 7:2.^[2][6]
• c. 1563-1583 – the Codicele Voronețean.^[7]
• c. 1660 – the Slavonic–Romanian lexicon Lex.St.^[10]
• 1691–1697 – oarecumva “somewhat” in Teodor Corbea's dictionary.^[2]
• 1879 – altcumva “otherwise”, in Barițiu.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. somehow, in some way; oarecum: trebuie să ajungem cumva acasă “we have to get home somehow”.^[4][7][1]
2. By chance, perhaps, possibly: dacă vine cumva, sună-mă “if by any chance he comes, call me”.^[4][1]
3. Nu cumva…? “is it not perhaps…?”;^[7][9][11] (să) nu (care) cumva să… “by no means…, don't dare…”.^[7][9][11]

Related words

• oricum
• altcumva
• cum
• oarecum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. cum
3. ^ a b c d 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. cumva
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 260
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. cum
6. ^ a b Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Ungureanu, Mădălina; Moruz, Alexandru et al., roPsalt: Re-evaluating the Sixteenth Century Romanian Psalters (aligned corpus), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. Ps 7:2
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 572
8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 377
9. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 605
10. ^ a b Ungureanu, Mădălina; Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Moruz, Alexandru (eds.), eRomLex: The First Romanian Bilingual Dictionaries (17th century), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. s.v. cumva
11. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. cumva