exercițiu

Forms

exercițiu n (plural exerciții)^[1] Old and regional variants include eserciție, esercițiu, exercițíe and the popular exirsis, ezirciț and izirciț.^[2] In Transylvania an older exerțir (also egzițir, izițir) was used, taken from German.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned loan, borrowed from Latin exercitium (“exercise, training”), with French exercice, Italian esercizio and German Exerzitium also named as models by DELR.^[2] DEX 2009 gives French and Latin, and Wiktionary French alone.^[4][1] MDA2 also lists German Exerzieren among the sources, the German infinitive behind the Transylvanian variant exerțir.^[3][2] Tiktin gives the Latin word, partly through other languages.^[5]

The Latin noun is formed from exerceō (“to keep busy, work at”) with the suffix -ium.^[6][1] The verb is made of ex- and arceō (“to hold in, keep away”).^[2][7] The French word goes back to Old French exercice, itself borrowed from Latin; the Italian is recorded from the 13th century.^[1][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin and DELR date the first record to 1736, in the form exerțițium in a document published by Stinghe.^[5][2] MDA2's first record is later, the Lexicon de la Buda of 1825.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word first meant practice and training in a skill.^[5][2] By the 19th century the dictionaries record drill in arms, exercises for the body, and tasks set to pupils.^[9] DELR also gives the practice of a profession and the use of a right or a power, senses that the verb exercita shares.^[2] The financial sense, the period for which a budget is drawn up, appears in the set phrases exercițiu bugetar and exercițiu financiar.^[2][4] In music the word names a short piece written to train a technique.^[10][3]

The family grew from several Latin and French words at once.^[2] exercita (1801–1806) is from Latin exercitō and Italian esercitare, exersa (1808) from French exercer, and exercitație (1833) from Latin exercitātiō.^[2]

Timeline

• 1736 – exerțițium in a document published by Stinghe, the first record.^[5][2]
• 1801–1806 – the verb exercita, in Micu.^[2]
• 1808 – exersa, first as exerțelui, in Țichindeal.^[2]
• 1825 – exercițiu and the Transylvanian exerțir in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[3][2]
• 1833 – exercitație “exercise, training”, in Bojincă.^[2]
• 1862 – exercițiu with the plural exercițiuri in Pontbriant's dictionary.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A physical or mental exercise done regularly and repeatedly to gain or improve a skill or ability.^[4][3]
2. Drill: the training of soldiers in handling weapons and in combat.^[4][3]
3. A task or problem set to pupils to practise what they have learned: exerciții de gramatică.^[4][3]
4. A short vocal or instrumental piece written to train a technique.^[10][3]
5. În exercițiul funcțiunii: while carrying out one's official duties.^[4][3]
6. Exercițiu bugetar or financiar: the fiscal year, the period for which a budget is drawn up, approved and carried out.^[4][3]

Related words

• exercita
• exersa
• exercitație
• Latin exercitium
• French exercice

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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. exercițiu
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 855
4. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 369
5. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. exercițiu
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter
8. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 237
10. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. exercițiu
11. ^ Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 251