electricitate

Forms

electricitate f (uncountable)^[1] Early texts also write electrițitate, electrisitate and electrizitate, and an Italian form electricita: „Electricita esti un feli de putere trăgătoare” “electricity is a kind of attracting force” (Amfilohie).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French électricité.^[4][5][6][1] The dictionaries name other models too: DELR gives three, borrowed from New Latin electricitas, the French word, borrowed from German Elektrizität.^[7] MDA2 names the same three, DLR the French and German words, and Tiktin French and Italian elettricità.^[2][3][8] The early variant ending in ⟨-a⟩ is from the Italian word.^[7][3]

The base is the adjective electric, French électrique, from English or from New Latin electricus, the term of the English physicist William Gilbert, from Latin electrum (“amber”), from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”): rubbed amber attracts light bodies.^[7][9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is the variant electricita in a text by Amfilohie of 1780–1790, defined as a kind of attracting force.^[7][3] The form electricitate appears in Gheorghe Șincai's Învățătura firească spre surparea superstiției norodului (1804–1808), a translation from German: „Vor cerca electricitatea aerului” “they will test the electricity of the air”.^[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

Writers of the early 19th century used it in the physics of the time, for the force behind lightning and even earthquakes.^[3] Negulici's dictionary of 1848 still explains it at length, as a fast and mostly invisible fluid that shows itself by friction and causes thunder.^[11] Later senses are the light and current it supplies, electricitate for electric lighting, and the branch of physics that studies it.^[4][7] DELR records a rare sense, the institution that runs the production and supply of electric power.^[7]

Timeline

• 1780–1790 – the variant electricita in Amfilohie, the first record.^[7]
• 1804–1808 – electricitate in Șincai's Învățătura firească.^[7][2]
• 1821 – electricitate in Leon Asachi.^[8]
• 1848 – an article in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[11]
• 1904 – termoelectricitate “thermoelectricity”, from French.^[7]
• 1911 – radioelectricitate, from French.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. electricity: one of the basic physical properties of matter, shown in the phenomena caused by electrically charged bodies at rest or in motion.^[4][2]
2. All electrical phenomena together: electricitate atmosferică “atmospheric electricity”, electricitate animală “electricity produced by living tissue”.^[4][2]
3. (colloquial) Electric light; electric current, power.^[4][7]
4. The branch of physics that studies electrical phenomena.^[4][10]

Related words

• electric
• electriza
• electron

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 795
3. ^ 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. electricitate
4. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 346
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
6. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. electric
8. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. electricitate
9. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
10. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
11. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București