Etymology and origin of the Romanian word de
Romanian has several words spelled de: the preposition, a conjunction, two interjections and a popular relative pronoun, and DEX gives each its own headword.[1][2]
de1 of, from
Etymology tree of de1
From the same root · de1
Pronunciation
- /de/[3]
Forms
de (preposition); regional dă, and du before pe and the prepositions formed with it.[2]
Etymology
The word for the preposition is inherited from Latin dē (“from, down from, about”).[2][4][5][3] In Latin it first marked a movement from above downwards, and Late Latin made it the general preposition of separation, and it survives in every Romance language.[2][6] The REW notes that in later Latin and in Romance it took over the functions of the genitive.[6] The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *déh₁.[3]
It survives in all four branches of Romanian: Aromanian di, Megleno-Romanian di and Istro-Romanian de.[2][4][7] Its Romance cognates include Italian di, French de, Occitan de, Catalan de, Spanish de and Portuguese de.[4][8][9] The prefix de- has the same origin.[2]
Before prepositions and adverbs beginning with ⟨în-⟩ the preposition fused with them, ⟨e⟩ and ⟨î⟩ contracting to ⟨i⟩: din from în, dintre from între, dintru from întru, and dinainte, dinapoi, dincoace, dincolo.[2][4] The variant ⟨du⟩ arose where ⟨dă pă⟩ was confused with după, and then spread before the other forms of pe.[2] Ciorănescu also derives decât from the preposition and cât, and deci from the preposition and the old adverb aci.[4] He takes dacă from the preposition and că, a compound that may be Romance (compare French dès que), with an intermediate form ⟨deacă⟩ in the 16th and 17th centuries.[4] Tiktin and Scriban start from the preposition and ca.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
The preposition is recorded from the beginning of written Romanian, in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of the early 16th century.[2][5] Tiktin's first dated record is Neacșu's letter of 1521.[10] His article opens with the oldest sense, the starting point: de aici “from here”, de departe “from far away”, de mâine “from tomorrow on”.[10]
Semantic evolution
DELR groups the uses in eight sets: origin, starting point and separation, the start of an event and the time elapsed since, material, cause, agent and author; the topic, “about”; the complement of verbs of contact and nearness and of adverbs such as aproape and departe; nominal attributes without a genitive ending, such as rochie de seară “evening dress”; quality and measure; the link between cardinal numbers from 20 up and their noun; degree expressions; and the supine.[2]
Old texts used it in senses later lost.[4] Coresi has it for the means, “through”: „de bunătatea făpturiei cunosc pre Ziditoriu” “through the goodness of creation they know the Creator”.[4] He also has it for the second term of a comparison, „de vulpile și păsările mai sărac iaste” “he is poorer than the foxes and the birds”, where today decât is used.[4] The partitive sense survives in phrases such as de toate “all sorts of things”.[2][4]
Timeline
- early 16th century – the preposition and its compounds din (old den) and dintru (old dentru) in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki.[2]
- 1521 – in Neacșu's letter.[10]
- 1551–1553 – dinainte, dinapoi and dinafară in the Slavonic–Romanian Gospel.[2]
- 1560–1561 – dintre, as dentre, in Coresi's Tetraevanghel.[2]
- 16th–17th centuries – deacă, the intermediate form of dacă.[4]
Meanings
Preposition
- of: introduces an attribute giving the kind, the material or the content of a thing: o masă de stejar “an oak table”, o cană de lapte “a mug of milk”.[1][3]
- Introduces an attribute of descent, belonging, authorship, time, place or purpose: o poezie de Eminescu “a poem by Eminescu”, cameră de oaspeți “guest room”.[1]
- Introduces a predicative noun, or a supine expressing necessity: Eu sunt de vină. “I am to blame.”, e de mirare “it is surprising”.[1]
- from: the starting point in space: A sărit de pe scaun. “He jumped off the chair.”[1][3]
- Of time: the starting point (de luni “from Monday on”), the occasion (de Crăciun “at Christmas”), succession (zi de zi “day after day”) and repetition (de trei ori “three times”).[1]
- Of cause: “with, out of”: tremura de frig “he was shivering with cold”.[1][4]
- Of purpose: “for”, also before a supine: mașină de spălat “washing machine”.[1]
- Of manner and measure: un zid înalt de doi metri “a wall two metres high”; in phrases such as de fapt “in fact” and de minune “wonderfully”.[1]
- Of relation, “as regards”, after an adjective or verb.[1]
- Introduces the agent of a passive verb: “by”.[1][3]
- Introduces an indirect object after verbs and adjectives: a se apropia de “to come near to”, bucuros de “glad of”; after a lua it means “for, as”.[1]
- Introduces a partitive object or a supine object: am terminat de citit “I have finished reading”, and a avea de + supine “to have to”.[1]
- Links cardinal numbers from twenty upwards to their noun: douăzeci de lei “twenty lei”.[1][2][3]
Word family
de2 if; that; and
Etymology tree of de2
From the same root · de2
Pronunciation
- /de/[3]
Forms
de (conjunction); regional dă.[2]
Etymology
The word for the conjunction is of disputed origin.[2][4] DELR, following Giurgea (2019), takes its coordinating and consecutive uses (“and so, so that”) as probably inherited from Latin inde (“from there; from then; after that”), first an adverb of consequence and sequence that was shortened by its use as a link word.[2] Its conditional uses, “if, whether”, would in the same way come from unde (“whence”).[2] Roques had already given the two sets of uses separate origins in 1907.[2] Aromanian has only the first set, but keeps the second in dise (“if”), recorded in 1901, while Istro-Romanian has the second.[2]
Ciorănescu holds that it is beyond doubt the same word as the preposition (homograph 1), from dē: its coordinating use matches the relative use of the preposition and its consecutive use the sense of purpose.[4] Drăganu (1923), Ciorănescu's dictionary and the DLR take this view, and Wiktionary derives it from the Latin preposition too.[2][3] DELR objects that a preposition introduces no finite verb, in Latin or in Romanian.[2]
Others look outside Latin.[2] Meyer-Lübke and Tiktin compare Albanian dhe (“and”), and DEX's comparison with an Albanian de is probably a misprint for that word.[2][11][1] Cihac derived it from Old Church Slavonic де (de), which DELR calls a very rare and late variant of да (da, “so; and”).[12][2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The conjunction appears in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of the early 16th century.[2][13] In Neacșu's letter of 1521 it links a consequence: „Au venit un om de la Nicopol de mie mi-au spus” “a man came from Nicopolis and told me”.[11]
Semantic evolution
Old and popular Romanian used it mainly to join clauses where the second states what followed, often in place of a purpose or object clause; with the subjunctive it introduced purpose.[2] The second set of uses is conditional, “if”, and introduces indirect questions, “whether”; old texts also have it for time and cause, “since, after”.[2] Today the conditional use survives mostly in wishes.[2] A third use, as a relative “who, which”, can come from either set, and DEX lists this popular relative as a separate word of unknown origin.[2][1]
With și it formed the concessive de și “even if, although”, now written deși.[11]
Timeline
- early 16th century – the conjunction in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki.[2]
- 1521 – „de mie mi-au spus” in Neacșu's letter.[11]
- 1901 – Mihăileanu's dictionary records Aromanian dise (“if”).[2]
Meanings
Conjunction
- if: introduces a condition: De vii mâine, mă găsești acasă. “If you come tomorrow, you'll find me at home.”[1][3]
- With și: “even if, although”.[1]
- Introduces purpose, “so that”, or a result, “so that, that”: a râs de i-au dat lacrimile “he laughed till the tears came”.[1]
- Introduces an indirect question, “whether”, or a subject or object clause, “that”.[1][3]
- (popular) Joins two clauses: “and”: s-a dus de l-a adus “he went and fetched him”.[1][4]
- Introduces a wish: “if only”.[1][3]
Word family
- deși
Usage notes
Two interjections share the spelling.[1][2] The first, recorded from 1839 and also written deh and dec, expresses resignation, doubt or disapproval: Apoi de! “Well, what can I do!”.[2][1] DELR takes it probably from Bulgarian де (de) or Serbo-Croatian де (de), possibly also from Modern Greek ντε (nte).[2] DEX calls it onomatopoeic and Ciorănescu an expressive creation.[2][1][4] The second, also from 1839, urges horses on, and DELR derives it from Bulgarian or from a shortened haide.[2][1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 274
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 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. de
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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. de
- ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 612
- ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 2488
- ^ Saramandu, Nicolae (coord.) et al. (2010–), Dicționarul dialectului meglenoromân, general și etimologic, fascicles in Fonetică și dialectologie XXIX–, p. 188
- ^ Pușcariu, Sextil (1905), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der rumänischen Sprache I: Lateinisches Element, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 43
- ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. 84
- ^ 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. de 2
- ^ 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. de 3
- ^ Cihac, A. de (1879), Dictionnaire d'étymologie daco-romane II: Éléments slaves, magyars, turcs, grecs-moderne et albanais, Frankfurt am Main, p. 92
- ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 611
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“De.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/de. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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