fagure

Forms

fagure m (plural faguri)^[1] MDA2 records the variants fagur and fagor;^[2][3] fagur is the older form of the texts.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *favulus (“honeycomb”), a diminutive of Latin favus (“honeycomb”), according to DEX and MDA2.^[3][2][4] Pușcariu, Candrea–Densusianu, the REW and the Academy dictionary take the same view.^[5] The other explanation makes it a singular rebuilt from the plural ⟨faguri⟩ of the older fag² “honeycomb”;^[6] Byck and Graur preferred this, because they found the change of Latin /v/ to /g/ unexplained.^[5][6] Ciorănescu answers that this confusion is frequent in Romanian (barză) and in Italian, where parvulus gave Italian pargoletto.^[5] Wiktionary gives both explanations.^[1]

The REW groups it with Italian fiavo, from the same Latin diminutive.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the articled form fagurul in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, of the early 16th century, at Psalm 18:11, where the judgements of the Lord are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.^[8] MDA2 dates the word to the Bucharest Bible of 1688, which has fagurii in the Proverbs.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

The core sense, the comb of hexagonal wax cells that the bees build for their honey and eggs, has stayed the same.^[3][10] Beekeeping has set phrases for its kinds: fagure cu clocitură a comb with larvae before capping, fagure mlecit one with rotten larvae, fagure cu plămadă one with eggs and brood.^[2][11] The Bible of 1688 already compares good words to a honeycomb: „Fagur de miere cuvintele bune” (Proverbs 16:24).^[10] In Maramureș the word names the boards set between the rims of a water-mill wheel, which separate its buckets.^[12][13]

Timeline

• early 16th century – fagurul in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki (Psalms 18:11 and 117:12).^[8]
• 1688 – fagur and fagurii in the Bucharest Bible.^[10][9]
• 1862 – fagure “honeycomb” in Pontbriant's dictionary.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A honeycomb: a layer of small hexagonal wax cells that worker bees build in the hive to store honey and lay eggs.^[3][2]
2. (regional, Maramureș) One of the boards between the rims of a water mill wheel that separate its buckets.^[12]

Related words

• fag²
• Latin favus

References

1. ^ a b c 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, 872
3. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 379
4. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
5. ^ a b c 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. fag
6. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 241
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 3227a
8. ^ a b Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Ungureanu, Mădălina; Moruz, Alexandru et al., roPsalt: Re-evaluating the Sixteenth Century Romanian Psalters (aligned corpus), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. Ps 18:11
9. ^ a b Biblia, adecă Dumnezeiasca Scriptură a ceii vechi și a ceii noao leage, București, 1688 (ed. 1988, tricentennial edition), p. Prov 27:7
10. ^ 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. fag 2
11. ^ Dima, Eugenia (coord.) (2007), Dicționar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române, Chișinău: Arc / Gunivas, p. s.v. fagure
12. ^ a b Ștef, Dorin (2021), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din județul Maramureș, 3rd ed., Baia Mare, p. s.v. fágure
13. ^ Ștef, Dorin (2011), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din Maramureș, Baia Mare: Ethnologica, p. s.v. fagure
14. ^ Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 254