fizic

Forms

fizic m or n (feminine singular fizică, masculine plural fizici, feminine/neuter plural fizice)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French physique according to DEX and MDA2, which treat it as a 19th-century neologism.^[2][3][4][1] Tiktin, who records it from 1705, derives it from Latin physicus, Greek or Latin, and the neologism dictionaries name the French, Latin and Greek words together.^[5][6] The DA calls it a word of Greek origin and Scriban takes it from the Greek.^[7][8]

The French word was borrowed in 1487 from the Latin adjective, which renders Ancient Greek φυσικός (phusikós, “natural, of nature”), from φύσις (phúsis, “nature”).^[9][10] The French adjective took the sense “material, bodily” in the 17th century.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is in Dimitrie Cantemir, in 1705;^[5] Cantemir also used the derivative fizicesc.^[5] MDA2 dates the modern word by Constantin Negruzzi's writings in the 1872 edition, where the noun fizicul means the bodily state of a person, as opposed to his moral: „fizicul lui sufere într-atât, încât pare că e un bătrân trecut” “his body suffers so much that he looks like a worn-out old man”.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The adjective sets the body against the mind (muncă fizică “physical labour”, exerciții fizice) and matter against spirit (fenomene fizice).^[7][2] Șăineanu's dictionary of 1929 still defines it by the laws of nature and by what exists materially or rests on the evidence of the senses.^[11] The neuter noun fizicul, a person's outward appearance or bodily constitution, follows French le physique.^[12][2] The feminine noun fizică names the science of physics and a textbook of it.^[2][3] Its derivatives fizicește “physically” and fizician “physicist” are recorded in the DA.^[7]

Timeline

• 1705 – first record, in Dimitrie Cantemir, with fizicesc.^[5]
• 1872 – fizicul “the body, physical condition” in the edition of Negruzzi's writings.^[3][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to the body of living beings, especially to muscular activity: muncă fizică “physical work”.^[2][3]
2. Belonging to the senses: plăceri fizice “bodily pleasures”.^[2]
3. Belonging to matter; material, concrete: geografie fizică “physical geography”.^[2][3]
4. Relating to physics and the phenomena it studies.^[2][13]

Noun

1. (neuter) A person's outward appearance; their natural bodily constitution: are un fizic plăcut “he has a pleasant appearance”.^[2][8]

Word family

• fizician
• fizicește

Related words

• fizică
• Latin physicus
• French physique

Usage notes

MDA2 records an older variant fisic.^[3] Geografie fizică is the branch of geography that studies the earth's surface and the natural environment.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 398
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 912
4. ^ 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. s.v. fizic
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. fizic
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. fizic
7. ^ a b c d e 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. fizic
8. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 511
9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. physique
10. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. physicus
11. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 253
12. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. fizic
13. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. fizic