funigel

Forms

funigel m (plural funigei)^[1]

Etymology

DEX and NODEX call the word of unknown origin.^[2][3] Ciorănescu takes it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *fūnicellus, a diminutive of Latin fūnis (“rope”), and Wiktionary follows him: the threads of gossamer are named like little ropes, as French calls them fil de la Vierge or filandre.^[4][1] For the /k/ > /g/ he compares formīca (“ant”), which gave Megleno-Romanian furnigă and similar dialectal forms.^[4][5] Pușcariu, the DA and Rosetti instead proposed *fūligella, a diminutive of fūlīgō (“soot”).^[4] Ciorănescu rejects this on the meaning.^[4] Scriban took it as probably formed on funie “rope”.^[6]

Ciorănescu explains some variants of furnicel “boil” as a confusion with this word, and MDA2 and Wiktionary list this spelling among its variants.^[7][8][1] In Scriban's dictionary the boil word points to this one, and this one points to funicel, another of its variants.^[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the dictionaries at hand, Scriban's of 1939 is the first to record the gossamer sense, with a second, technical sense from weaving.^[6] Damé's earlier funigel “ulceration”, beside the Transylvanian plural funicei “pustules”, belongs with furnicel “boil”.^[10] MDA2's first record, from an author it cites as Toma, is undated.^[11]

Semantic evolution

In the gossamer sense the word is mostly plural, funigei: the floating threads of small spiders seen on clear autumn days, also called mătasea-morților “the silk of the dead”.^[11][2] The writers DLRLC quotes, Sadoveanu, Camil Petrescu and Beniuc, use it for the threads drifting in the evening light or caught on branches.^[12] Scriban's second sense, the rods that keep the warp stretched on the loom, is known only from his dictionary, Ciorănescu notes.^[6][4] MDA2 adds a regional sense, a synonym of păducel.^[11]

Timeline

• 1939 – the gossamer sense and the loom sense in Scriban's dictionary.^[6]
• 1955–1957 – the gossamer sense in DLRLC, with quotations from Sadoveanu, Camil Petrescu and Beniuc.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. (usually in the plural) gossamer: a thread spun by a kind of small spider, seen floating in the air on clear autumn days.^[2][11]
2. (rare) A rod of the loom that keeps the warp stretched.^[6][4]
3. (regional) The same as păducel.^[11]

Related words

• furnicel
• funie
• Latin fūnis

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. 420
3. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. funigel
4. ^ a b c d e f 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. funigel
5. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 133
6. ^ a b c d e f Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 534
7. ^ 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. furnicel
8. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 956
9. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 535
10. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. funigel
11. ^ 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, 954
12. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 344