forța

Forms

forța (third-person singular present forțează, past participle forțat) 1st conjugation^[1] Tiktin records an old form forția.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French forcer, also borrowed from Italian forzare.^[3][4][5][1] The dictionaries weigh the two differently: Tiktin gives only Italian, the simple verb or sforzare, Marcu & Maneca put Italian first and compare French, and DLRM and NODEX give only French.^[2][6][7][8] Wikționar also notes it as formed on forță.^[9]

Both Romance verbs go back to Vulgar Latin *fortiō (“to force”), a verb on Late Latin fortia (“strength, force”), itself from Latin fortis (“strong”).^[10][1][11] The Vulgar Latin verb also gave Spanish forzar, Portuguese forçar and Catalan forsar.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1794, with the sense “to compel”.^[2] MDA2's first record is in Titu Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches, from 1866 on.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From compelling a person the verb passed to forcing a lock or a mechanism and to overtaxing a machine or an animal; the reflexive means to strain oneself, to make an effort.^[3][4] CADE (1931) also records a forța pasul “to quicken one's pace”.^[12] Phrases include a forța ușa cuiva “to break into someone's house”, a forța mâna cuiva “to force someone's hand” and a forța nota “to overdo it”.^[3][5] In military use it means to force a crossing of an obstacle against enemy resistance.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1794 – the first record, “to compel”.^[2]
• 1866 – in Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches.^[4]
• 1929 – Șăineanu: to compel; to break open; figuratively, to force a talent.^[13]
• 1931 – CADE adds a forța pasul “to quicken one's pace”.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. To force someone to do something; to compel, to oblige; reflexive: to make an effort, to strain oneself: s-a forțat să termine “he made himself finish”.^[3][1]
2. To handle a lock or a mechanism violently, damaging it; to break open: a forța ușa cuiva “to break into someone's home”.^[3][4]
3. To overload a machine or an animal.^[3]
4. (military) To cross an obstacle against enemy resistance: a forța râul “to force the river”.^[3][8]

Related words

• forțare
• forțat
• forță
• sforța
• French forcer

Usage notes

A forța nota means “to overstep the mark, to exaggerate”, and a forța (cuiva) mâna “to force someone's hand”.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. forța
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 407
4. ^ 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, 932
5. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. forța
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. forța
7. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. forța
8. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. forța
9. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org
10. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
12. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. forța
13. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 257