ghinion

Forms

ghinion n (plural ghinioane)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French guignon (“bad luck”), as all the dictionaries agree.^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} The French word comes from guigner (“to eye someone”) and is linked with the superstition of the evil eye.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 takes its first record from Alecsandri, as quoted in CADE.^[3] CADE gives it as bad luck especially at cards, with Alecsandri's „nu pot să bat măcar o carte, ce ghinion!” “I can't win a single card, what bad luck!”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From the card table the word spread to any unlucky event or turn of circumstances.^[5][3] Scriban in 1939 still labelled it a barbarism of familiar speech, and argued that, since the French sound of ⟨gn⟩ exists in Romanian dialects, it should be pronounced ghiñon, like coñac.^[6] The dictionaries prescribe two syllables in -ni-on instead.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1931 – CADE records it, with a quotation from Alecsandri.^[5][3]
• 1939 – Scriban labels it a familiar barbarism.^[6]
• 1955–1957 – DLRLC defines it as an unfavourable turn of events.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. bad luck, an event or turn of circumstances unfavourable to someone; nenoroc, neșansă: Am avut ghinion la examen.^[2][3]
2. A jinx.^[1]

Related words

• French guignon

Usage notes

The plural is ghinioane.^[2] Marcu and Maneca also give ghinionuri.^[7] MDN gives the short form ghină as a synonym.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. 438
3. ^ 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, 993
4. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. ghinion
5. ^ a b c d Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. ghinion
6. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 554
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. ghinion
8. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 379