hoț

Forms

hoț m (plural hoți, feminine equivalent hoață)^[1]

Etymology

The origin of the word is unknown.^[2][3][4] Ciorănescu calls it obscure and probably expressive, from the same expressive root as the interjection haț and the Bukovinian hățaș “thief”; he points to the same alternation of vowels in pairs such as hală and hoală.^[5] He adds that Hasdeu had already proposed an expressive origin, without finding acceptance.^[5]

Older proposals derived it from Slavic: Cihac from a Slavonic word meaning “malefactor”, Densusianu from a Slavic root meaning “to seize” with a Slavic suffix, and Scriban from the Slavic root of poftă;^[5][6] Ciorănescu finds none of them convincing.^[5][6] Wiktionary considers a link with Latin ōcior (“swifter”) and ōcius (“more swiftly”), in which case the word first meant “swift, sly” and the regional form oț would be the older one.^[1] Șăineanu also gave it as of unknown origin.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1529.^[3] The word also appears early in personal names of the Slavonic–Romanian documents: Hoțul in 1536 and 1594, Hoțilă in 1577.^[3] MDA2's first record, with the sense “thief”, is the Anonymus Caransebesiensis, a Romanian–Latin glossary of the second half of the 17th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The core sense has always been “one who steals”; set phrases name kinds of thieves: hoț de codru “robber of the forest, highwayman” and hoț de buzunare “pickpocket”.^[4][3] An older phrase, hoț de bună dimineață, named the thief who climbed into houses through windows left open at dawn in summer.^[4]

From the 19th century the word was also used playfully of a sly, clever person, a rascal: Coșbuc calls a girl mare hoață “a great rogue”.^[3][5] As an adjective it means “thieving” and, in a weaker sense, “cunning”.^[2] Romanian formed a large family on it: the feminine hoață and hoțoaică, the abstract hoție “theft”, the collective hoțime “band of thieves” and hoțoman, with an expressive suffix.^[5] Scriban notes a western regional form oț.^[6]

Timeline

• 1529 – the first record, after Tiktin.^[3]
• 1536 – the personal name Hoțul in a Slavonic–Romanian document.^[3]
• 1577 – the personal name Hoțilă.^[3]
• c. 1650-1700 – hoț “thief” in the Anonymus Caransebesiensis glossary.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A thief: a person who steals; as an adjective, thieving or, in a weaker sense, sly.^[2][8]
2. (colloquial) A sly, playful person, a rascal.^[2][5]

Word family

• hoață
• hoțoaică
• hoțesc
• hoțește
• hoțiș
• hoție
• hoțime
• hoțoman
• pohoț

Usage notes

The feminine is hoață.^[2] Common phrases are hoț de codru “highwayman” and hoț de buzunare “pickpocket”.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 481
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. hoț
4. ^ 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, 1088
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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. hoț
6. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 605
7. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 297
8. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. hoț