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deasupra

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Etymology and origin of the Romanian word deasupra

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1551–1553 a Slavonic–Romanian Gospel, as ''desupra'' More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
Latin dē,ad,suprā
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin dē
Aromanian deadun
Aromanian di
French de
Italian da
Italian di
Italian dove
Romanian de
Romanian deasupra
Spanish de
From the same root
Latin deante ← dē
Latin dēforīs ← dē
Latin dehinc ← dē
Latin deinde ← dē
Latin deinter ← dē
Latin deintrō ← dē
Latin dēintus ← dē
Latin dēlīrō ← dē
Latin dēmum ← dē
Latin dēnique ← dē
Latin dēnuō ← dē
Latin dēretrō ← dē
Latin dēsubtus ← dē
Latin dēsuper ← dē
Latin dēsūrsum ← dē
Latin dēterior ← dē
Latin dēviō ← dē
Latin dorsum ← dē
Latin duodēvīgintī ← dē
Latin ūndēvīgintī ← dē
French cul-de-sac ← de
French davantage ← de
French debout ← de
French devant ← de
French dinde ← de
Italian dappertutto ← da
Italian davvero ← da
Italian dipoi ← di
Romanian dacă ← de
Romanian dânsul ← de
See all derived words →

Pronunciation

  • /de̯aˈsu.pra/[1]

Forms

deasupra (+genitive)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian de + asupra, as DEX, MDA2, the DLR and Wiktionary give it.[2][3][4][1] DELR describes it more closely as the old desupra, inherited from Latin dē and suprā (“above”), reshaped under the influence of asupra.[5] The preposition itself is from ad and the same Latin adverb.[5][6] Scriban takes the word straight from the three Latin words.[7]

The older form has counterparts in the other branches: Aromanian disuprã, Megleno-Romanian disupra and Istro-Romanian desupra.[5][8] For the Aromanian word Papahagi allows super in place of the adverb as the second part.[8] Compare Italian di sopra and Dalmatian de zupra.[1] The regional forms dasupra and dăsupra are also recorded.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is in the Psaltirea Scheiană, under the older form desupra: „Tremiseși desupra și me preimiși” “thou didst send from above and didst take me”.[4][3] DELR dates the form desupra to a Slavonic–Romanian Gospel of 1551–1553 and the form deasupra to a document of 1623–1626;[5] Ureche's chronicle (1642–1647) uses deasupra throughout.[5]

Semantic evolution

The adverb meant “in the upper part, on top”, opposed to dedesubt; with a genitive it became a preposition, “above, over”: the New Testament of 1648 has the star that „veni de stătu desupra unde era coconul” “came and stood over where the child was”.[4][2] Desupra and deasupra both appear in 17th-century texts.[4]

Pe deasupra took several senses: “over something”, “in addition, besides” and “superficially”.[2][3] The expression a fi deasupra nevoii “to be past one's trouble” means to have come through a hard situation.[2][3] DELR also records a rare derivative, deasuprime “surface”, in Asachi (1814–1818).[5]

Timeline

  • 1551–1553 – the older form desupra in a Slavonic–Romanian Gospel.[5]
  • c. 1573–1578 – desupra in the Psaltirea Scheiană, MDA2's first record.[3][4]
  • 1623–1626 – the form deasupra in a document.[5]
  • 1642–1647 – deasupra used throughout Ureche's chronicle.[5]
  • 1648 – desupra as a preposition in the New Testament of 1648.[4]
  • 1814–1818 – deasuprime “surface” in Asachi.[5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. above, on top, in the upper part; opposed to dedesubt: Pune cărțile deasupra.[2][3]
  2. pe deasupra – over something; in addition, besides; superficially, without going into things.[2][3]

Preposition

  1. (with the genitive) over, above: deasupra casei “above the house”.[2][3][1]
  2. (with the genitive) on, in contact with the top of something.[3]
  • asupra
  • desupra
  • dedesubt
  • Aromanian disuprã

Usage notes

A fi deasupra nevoii “to be out of trouble, out of danger”.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 274
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 612
  4. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. deasupra
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. asupra
  6. ^ 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. asupra
  7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 393
  8. ^ a b Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 401
Cite this entry

“Deasupra.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/deasupra. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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