după-amiază

Forms

după-amiază f (plural după-amiezi)^[1] The DLR quotes the spellings după-amează (1830), după amiazi (Caragiale) and după amiază.^[2]

Etymology

It is a compound from Romanian după (“after”) + amiază (“noon”), “after noon”.^[1][3][4] It began as an adverbial phrase, which Tiktin records under amiază with the sense “in the afternoon” and also as a noun, “one afternoon”.^[5] The phrase was then used as a noun.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DLR's first dated example is from 1830: „La 7 ceasuri după-amează au fost masă” “at 7 o'clock in the afternoon there was a dinner”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb the phrase means “in the afternoon”, after the hour of noon; with the article, după-amiaza, it means “in the afternoons, almost every day”.^[3][4][1] As a noun it names the part of the day itself: Sadoveanu writes „Era într-o după-amiază de toamnă” “It was on an autumn afternoon”.^[2] După-masă and după-prânz are used in the same senses.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1830 – după-amează “in the afternoon”, the first dated example.^[2]
• late 19th century – după amiazi in Caragiale.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Afternoon: the part of the day between noon and evening.^[3][4][1]

Adverb

1. In the afternoon: ne vedem mâine după-amiază.^[3][4][1]
2. (with the article, după-amiaza) In the afternoons, almost every day.^[3][4]

Related words

• după-masă
• amiază
• după

Usage notes

The plural is după-amiezi.^[1] Synonyms are după-masă and după-prânz.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. după
3. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 336
4. ^ 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, 773
5. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. amiază