far

Forms

far n (plural faruri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French phare, with Italian faro and Latin pharus as further models: DEX, MDA2 and the Marcu dictionary of neologisms name all three, while the DA and the DLRM give French, the DLRM with the Latin word as its model.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Wiktionary gives Latin and French.^[1] The Latin word was first the name of Pharos, an island off Alexandria where Ptolemy Philadelphus built a lighthouse, from Ancient Greek Φάρος (Pháros).^[7][8][9] The French word is recorded from 1546, the Italian one from before 1264.^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Negulici's dictionary of 1848 defines it as a large lantern set on a tower at the edge of the sea, and the tower itself.^[12] Costinescu (1870) explains it the same way, as a great lamp in a high tower that shows the shore to ships.^[13]

Semantic evolution

The lantern gave its name to the tower that carries it.^[5][12] A figurative “guide, what lights the way” appears in Alecsandri's verse „Luna își aprinde farul tainic de lumină” “the moon kindles its secret beacon of light”, MDA2's first record.^[5][3] The headlight of a vehicle is first listed by Scriban in 1939, and the DLRM of 1958 names cars and locomotives.^[9][6] Sailors use it for the yards, sails and rigging of a mast, and slang uses the plural faruri for the eyes.^[8][14]

Timeline

• 1848 – Negulici: a large lantern on a seaside tower, and the tower.^[12]
• 1870 – Costinescu spells it farŭ.^[13]
• 1875 – Alecsandri's poems, with the figurative “beacon”.^[3][5]
• 1886 – Barcianu glosses it with German Leuchtturm.^[15]
• 1939 – the sense “headlight” in Scriban.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A lighthouse: a tall structure with a powerful light that marks important points along sea routes.^[2][3]
2. A headlight, a lamp on a car, locomotive and the like that throws a beam of light ahead.^[2][3]
3. (nautical) The yards, sails and rigging of a mast.^[8][4]
4. (figurative) A beacon, a guide; a person at the head of a field.^[4][16]
5. (slang, plural) The eyes.^[14]

Related words

• French phare
• Italian faro

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 381
3. ^ 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, 876
4. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. far
5. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1913–1949), Dicționarul limbii române (DA), ed. Sextil Pușcariu, tom I (A–B, C, D–De) and tom II (F–I, J–Lojniță), București: Socec / Universul / Monitorul Oficial și Imprimeriile Statului; page scans at cflr-scans.solirom.ro, p. s.v. far
6. ^ a b Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. far
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. far
9. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 493
10. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ a b c 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, p. s.v. far
13. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 423
14. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. far
15. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 222
16. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. far