generator

Forms

generator m or n (feminine singular generatoare, masculine plural generatori, feminine/neuter plural generatoare)^[1] Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 gives the feminine as generatrice, and Scriban still records it as rare, from Latin.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French générateur, with Latin generātor (“begetter, producer”) as a second source in DEX, MDA2 and Marcu.^[4][5][6][1] Marcu and Maneca compare German Generator as well, and the DLRM takes the noun from French.^[7][8] By surface analysis it is genera with the suffix -tor.^[1]

The Latin noun is formed generō (“to beget, produce”) and -tor.^[9][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Negulici's dictionary of 1848: an adjective for what produces something or causes it to exist, and in geometry a point or line that makes a line or surface by moving.^[10] MDA2 takes its first record from Culianu's course in cosmography of 1895.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The adjective and the geometrical noun came first.^[10][2] The machine sense began with steam: Barcianu in 1886 has generator de vapor “steam generator”, and Șăineanu and Scriban define the noun as the boiler of a steam engine.^[11][12][3] CADE in 1931 extends it to any device that turns energy into electricity.^[13] The DLRLC of 1955 has the electrical generator, a dynamo, and the gas generator.^[14] Generator cuantic “quantum generator”, a name for the laser and the maser, follows in the neologism dictionaries.^[7][6]

Timeline

• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary, as an adjective and a geometrical term.^[10]
• 1870 – Costinescu glosses it “that which produces”, with the feminine generatrice.^[2]
• 1886 – generator de vapor “steam generator” in Barcianu.^[11]
• 1895 – in Culianu's course in cosmography.^[5]
• 1931 – electrical generators in CADE.^[13]
• 1955 – the electrical generator and the gas generator in the DLRLC.^[14]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That generates, produces or causes something.^[4][5]

Noun

1. (feminine, geometry) A straight line that traces a surface as it moves in space.^[4][5]
2. (neuter) A machine or installation that produces one form of energy from another: generator cuantic “quantum generator”, generator de zgomot “noise generator”.^[4][5][1]
3. (neuter) An apparatus that produces a fluid or a suspension, such as a gas generator.^[4][5]

Related words

• genera
• generație

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 477
3. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 548
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 433
5. ^ 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, 982
6. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
8. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ 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
11. ^ a b Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 249
12. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 271
13. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească
14. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 370