Etymology and origin of the Romanian word doc
doc1 thick cotton fabric
- Confidence
- Probable
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1862 Pontbriant's Romanian–French dictionary
- Borrowed from
- English duck
- Ultimate origin
- Dutch doek
Forms
doc n (plural docuri, for kinds of the fabric)[1]
Etymology
The word for the cotton fabric is borrowed from English duck (“strong cotton cloth”), which is from Dutch doek (“cloth”).[2][3][1][4][5] Scriban derived it from a Turkish word meaning “woven cloth”, and the Academy's SDLR followed him;[6][2][3] DELR records this view beside the English one.[6][2][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
The first record is in Pontbriant's Romanian–French dictionary of 1862.[2][4]
Semantic evolution
CADE marked the word as Moldavian in 1931 and quoted Sadoveanu's townsman “in a coat of doc”.[7] Scriban and NODEX give dril “drill” as its synonym.[6][5] DEX 2009 adds a second sense, a sort of the fabric, which alone has a plural.[1]
Timeline
Meanings
Noun
doc2 dock
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1803
- Borrowed from
- French dock
- Ultimate origin
- Middle Dutch docke
Forms
doc n (plural docuri)[8]
Etymology
The word for the harbour basin is borrowed from French dock, with a direct loan from English dock as the other possibility: DEX, DELR and the DILF name both, Ciorănescu the English word through French, Tiktin and Scriban English or French, and the DLR English alone.[1][9][10][3][11][6][12][8] The French word itself is from English.[9]
The English noun comes from Middle Dutch docke or Middle Low German docke.[9]
Earliest recorded meaning
Tiktin records the word from 1803, and the DLR takes this date from him.[11][12] DELR's and MDA2's first record is Paris Mumuleanu's Caracteruri of 1825.[9][4]
Semantic evolution
Besides the basin where ships are loaded, unloaded and repaired, the word names the whole of a port's buildings and services, and a warehouse in a port where grain and other goods are stored.[9][1][4] A floating dock for repairs is a doc plutitor.[1][6]
Romanian took the derivatives from the same languages: docher “docker” is recorded in 1889, from French, and andoca “to put a ship in dock”, first as the noun andocare in 1926 and as a verb in 1939, is eindocken, a German verb; a variant îndoca adapts the prefix.[9]
Timeline
- 1803 – the first record, as Tiktin gives it.[11][12]
- 1825 – in Paris Mumuleanu's Caracteruri.[9][4]
- 1889 – docher “docker”, in the newspaper Lupta.[9]
- 1926 – andocare “docking”, the verb following in 1939.[9]
Meanings
Noun
- A dock: a harbour basin with its buildings and equipment, where ships are loaded, unloaded or repaired;[1][4][8] doc plutitor “floating dock”.[1][4][8]
- The buildings, installations and technical and administrative services of a port.[1][4]
- A warehouse in a port for grain and other goods.[1][4]
Word family
- andoca
- docher
Usage notes
A third -doc, with no plural, is the second element of learned compounds, meaning “which contains, through which passes”, from Ancient Greek δοχός (dokhós, “containing”).[13][14][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 324
- ^ 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. doc¹
- ^ 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. doc
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 738
- ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. doc
- ^ a b c d e Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 438
- ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. doc
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. doc²
- ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. doc
- ^ 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. doc
- ^ a b c Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. doc²
- ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. -doc
- ^ Andrei, Nicolae (1987), Dicționar etimologic de termeni științifici: elemente de compunere greco-latine, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. s.v. -doc
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Doc.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/doc. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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