deosebire

Forms

deosebire f (plural deosebiri)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian deosebi + -re, the long infinitive of the verb used as a noun.^[2][1][3][4] The old texts also have osebire and usebire, from the simple verb osebi.^[4][5]

The verb deosebi is formed from de and the simple verb.^[3][6] DELR derives it from the old adverb of the same form, meaning “separately”, from особь (osobĭ, “separately”), with the -e- of the verb, from осебити (osebiti);^[2][1] Wiktionary derives it from the verb, from особити (osobiti).^[2][1] Ciorănescu also takes the adverb from the Slavonic word, citing Miklosich and Cihac.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is from an Apostol of 1683 printed in Gaster's chrestomathy, with the old sense “separation, seclusion”.^[4] DELR's first record, in the sense “difference”, is Dimitrie Cantemir's Divanul (1698).^[2]

Semantic evolution

The old sense “separation” gave way to “difference, distinguishing feature”: Cantemir writes of brothers parted by „depărtarea deosăbirii trupești” “the distance of bodily separation”.^[4][6] MDA2 records an old logical term deosebire loghicească for the differentia of Porphyry's categories, and an old mathematical sense “remainder”.^[6] The Lexicon de la Buda glossed it with Latin separatio, distinctio and Hungarian különbség.^[8] Its adverbial phrases are frequent: cu deosebire “especially”, fără deosebire “without exception”, spre deosebire de “unlike”.^[3]

Timeline

• 1683 – first record, in an Apostol, with the sense “separation”.^[4]
• 1698 – “difference” in Cantemir's Divanul.^[2]
• 1705 – in Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică.^[6]
• 1825 – de osebire in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of telling or setting apart, and its result; lack of likeness, difference.^[3][6]
2. (obsolete) separation.^[6][4]

Related words

• deosebi
• deosebit
• îndeosebi
• osebi

Usage notes

The noun forms several adverbial phrases: cu deosebire “especially, above all”, cu deosebire că “with the difference that”, fără deosebire “without exception” and spre deosebire de “in contrast to”: Spre deosebire de fratele lui, era vorbăreț.^[3][6]

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” (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. deosebi
3. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 290
4. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. deosebire
5. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 404
6. ^ 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, 644
7. ^ 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. osebi
8. ^ a b Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 173