curcan

Forms

curcan m (plural curcani, feminine equivalent curcă)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian curcă (“turkey hen”) + -an, the male named after the female, as gâscan after gâscă.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It has an Aromanian counterpart, Aromanian curcon.^[7]

The sources explain the origin of curcă itself in several ways.^[5][4][8][7] DER takes it from the Slavic word found in Bulgarian and Polish, formed on Proto-Slavic *kurъ (“cock”).^[5] The DA, DEX, MDA2 and Wiktionary name Bulgarian курка (kurka), while Tiktin points to the Ukrainian word for “hen”.^[8][2][1][9] DELR calls the Slavic origin probable, from *kurъka “hen”, and suggests the meaning moved to the turkey under the influence of a Turkic word for the bird, found in Turkish and Tatar, which the Ukrainian etymological dictionary takes as the source of the Romanian word.^[4] DELR adds that the Bulgarian word in the sense “turkey” is dialectal and probably borrowed from Romanian, and compares Bulgarian and Hungarian words for the turkey taken from Romanian puică.^[4] DER notes the Albanian and Modern Greek words and Hungarian kurka, which Edelspacher took from Romanian.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates curcan to 1740–1741, in a record of the reign of Constantin Mavrocordat, as the male turkey.^[4] Tiktin's first record is of 1758.^[7] The word curcă is older: DELR has it from about 1650, and Tiktin points to a personal name Curca of 1448.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Besides the male bird, curcan is used for the turkey in general.^[3] The bird's pride gave the phrase a se umfla în pene ca un curcan “to puff oneself up like a turkey”, and Tiktin records it as a mocking name for pompous people.^[3][7]

In the War of Independence of 1877–1878 the dorobanți, the Romanian territorial infantry, were called curcani for the turkey feather on their caps.^[7][10] Tiktin notes that the name began as mockery and became one of honour after their success against the Turks, and Alecsandri wrote „Ne dase nume de curcani”.^[7][10][3] Later the word meant a street policeman, and in slang it still means “cop”;^[3][11] curcănărie “the police” is recorded from 1922–1923.^[3][11][4] Other derivatives are curcănie “petty theft” (1852, Alecsandri) and curcănaș “young turkey” (1862).^[4]

Timeline

• 1740–1741 – curcan “male turkey”, the first record.^[4]
• 1758 – Tiktin's first record.^[7]
• 1852 – curcănie “petty theft” in Alecsandri.^[4]
• 1862 – curcănaș and curcănar “turkey keeper”.^[4]
• 1877–1878 – curcani as the nickname of the dorobanți.^[7][3]
• 1922–1923 – curcănărie “the police”.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. turkey: a large domestic bird from America with a broad tail that it spreads like a fan (Meleagris gallopavo); specifically, the turkey cock.^[3][2][1]
2. (derogatory, dated) a street policeman; in slang, a cop.^[3][11]
3. (figurative) the nickname of the Romanian dorobanți of the war of 1877–1878.^[3][2]

Word family

• curcănaș
• curcănărie
• curcănie
• curcănar

Related words

• curcă
• Aromanian curcon

Usage notes

A se umfla în pene ca un curcan means to give oneself airs.^[3][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 578
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 262
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. curcă
5. ^ a b c d 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. curcă
6. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 380
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. curcan
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. curcă
9. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. curcă
10. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. curcan
11. ^ a b c Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. curcan