gest

Forms

gest n (plural gesturi)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French geste, with Latin gestus (“bearing, movement of the body”) as a second model, as DEX, MDA2 and MDN give it.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary names French alone, and so did the DA;^[1][5][6][7] Tiktin and the DN compare Italian gesto as well.^[1][5][6][7] Scriban derived it from the Latin word only.^[8] The Latin noun is an action noun to gerō (“to carry, to bear oneself”);^[9] Graur lists the word with gestiune, gestație and gesticula among the Romanian words of this Latin family.^[9][10] The French word was itself borrowed from the Latin one in the 13th century.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to about 1830.^[6] Negulici's dictionary of neologisms explains it in 1848 as a movement of the body, especially of the hand and arms, that goes with speech.^[12] MDA2 dates it from Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches (1866–1876).^[3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is a movement of the hand, head or body that expresses a thought or feeling.^[2][12] By extension, at first in familiar use, it came to mean an act or way of behaving that carries a meaning, as in un gest frumos “a fine gesture”.^[5][13] MDA2 also gives the sense “attitude”.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1830 – the first record Tiktin gives.^[6]
• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[12]
• 1866–1876 – in Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches, the first record MDA2 gives.^[3]
• 1870 – in Costinescu's dictionary.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A gesture: a movement of the hand, head and so on that expresses an idea, a feeling or an intention, replacing words or adding to them.^[2][3]
2. An act or behaviour with a particular purpose or meaning.^[2][15]
3. An attitude.^[3]

Related words

• gesticula
• gestiune

Usage notes

The plural is gesturi; a plural geste occurs in Negruzzi but is unusual.^[5][3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 435
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, 987
4. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
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. gest
6. ^ 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. gest
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 551
9. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică
11. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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
13. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 272
14. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 483
15. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. gest