existent

Forms

existent m or n (feminine singular existentă, masculine plural existenți, feminine/neuter plural existente)^[1] The first record has the form essistinte: „constatând incertitudinile şi contradicţiunile ştiinţei essistinte” “noting the uncertainties and contradictions of existing science”.^[2][3] Other old spellings are ecsistent, esistent, esistint, existint and ezistint.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin exsistēns, the present participle of exsistō (“to emerge, exist”), and French existant, with Italian esistente as a further model in DELR and the DLR.^[3][2] DEX and DILF name only French, shaped after existență, and Wiktionary French alone.^[5][6][1] MDA2, NODEX and Scriban give French and Latin.^[4][7][8] DELR treats it in the family of exista.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is of 1846, in a text by Laurian, as essistinte in the sense “existing”;^[3][2][4] MDA2 dates the word to 1857, in Barasch's lectures on hygiene.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective “existing, real” was used of the state of things and of laws in force, as in Convorbiri literare and in Eminescu and Caragiale.^[2][4] As a neuter noun it is a term of philosophy, “that which exists”, and of law and accounting, the goods or funds a person or firm holds at a given date.^[5][4][3] The negative neexistent is recorded from 1861 and inexistent, from French, from 1875.^[3]

Timeline

• 1846 – essistinte in Laurian, the first record.^[3][2]
• 1857 – existent in Barasch's Cursul de igienă populară.^[4]
• 1861 – neesistente, the first form of neexistent.^[3]
• 1875 – inexistent.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That exists, is found or lives; real: resursele existente.^[5][4]
2. (of laws, rules) In force, current.^[4][7]

Noun

1. (philosophy) A concrete manifestation of existence; that which exists.^[5][9]
2. (law, accounting) Any category of assets belonging to someone at a given date.^[5][4]

Word family

• neexistent

Related words

• exista
• existență
• inexistent
• coexistent
• preexistent
• French existant

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. existent
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. exista
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 857
5. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 370
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, p. 1
7. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. existent
8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 483
9. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. existent