guvernator

Forms

guvernator m (plural guvernatori)^[1] Old forms with -b- follow Latin: gubernat (1660–1680), gubernator and gubernatur;^[2][3] Văcărescu wrote „Au făcut pe prințul Potemkin gubernat Crimului” “they made Prince Potemkin governor of the Crimea”.^[2][3]

Etymology

DEX and MDA2 take it as formed from Romanian guverna + -tor, MDA2 comparing Russian губернатор (gubernator).^[4][3][1] Tiktin, whose first record is older than the verb's, derives it from Latin gubernātor (“steersman, governor”), partly through other languages, and the DLRM forms it on the verb after the Latin noun.^[2][5] Marcu gives Italian governatore.^[6] The Russian word, which reached Bulgarian too, is itself from Latin.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1679, and he cites the form gubernat from a manuscript of 1660–1680.^[2] MDA2's first record is in Dimitrie Cantemir's Hronicul vechimei romano-moldo-vlahilor, which it cites in the 1901 edition.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word first named the governor of a province, a colony or a fortress, including the governors of the Russian Empire, as in Văcărescu's line on Potemkin.^[2][8] The verb guverna is recorded only from 1805, so the noun came first.^[9] The sense “head of a bank of issue”, as in guvernatorul Băncii Naționale, is recorded by 1929.^[10][11]

Timeline

• 1660–1680 – gubernat in a manuscript.^[2]
• 1679 – the first dated record.^[2]
• 1805 – the verb guverna.^[9]
• 1870 – guvernatorŭ in Costinescu's dictionary.^[8]
• 1929 – the sense “governor of the National Bank”.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A governor: in some states, a person who runs a large administrative unit, a dependent territory or a colony in the name of the head of state.^[4][3][1]
2. The head of a central bank or credit institution.^[4][3]

Related words

• guverna
• guvern
• guvernant

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. guvernator
3. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1034
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 455
5. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. guvernator
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. guvernator
7. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 1, 291
8. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 507
9. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. guverna
10. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 286
11. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. guvernator