homosexual

Forms

homosexual m or n (feminine singular homosexuală, masculine plural homosexuali, feminine/neuter plural homosexuale)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French homosexuel.^[2][3][1][4] By its form it is also homo- + sexual, the first part from Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same”) and the second from sexus (“sex”).^[1][5] The French word, recorded from 1891 for a person, was perhaps modelled on English homosexual (1869) or German homosexuell.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DLRLC (1955–1957) is the earliest dictionary record we have;^[7][3] MDA2 gives no dated text, only the manuscript of the Academy dictionary.^[7][3] Dimitrescu's dictionary of recent words notes that the word is much older than its press quotations of the 1990s.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The dictionaries of the 1950s defined it with moral disapproval, as a person given to the vice of homosexuality.^[7] DEX gives the neutral sense, a person in sexual relations with persons of the same sex, with pederast as a synonym, and uses it both as a noun and as an adjective.^[2] MDN adds gay as a synonym.^[9] Dimitrescu's press quotations from 1998 on use it as a noun and as an adjective (înclinație homosexuală).^[8]

Timeline

• 1955–1957 – defined in DLRLC.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A homosexual: a person sexually attracted to people of the same sex.^[2][3][1]

Adjective

1. Homosexual, of or relating to same-sex attraction; the opposite of heterosexual: un cuplu homosexual.^[2][3]

Related words

• homosexualitate
• sexual
• lesbiană

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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. 479
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, 1083
4. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
5. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. homosexual
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 466
8. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. homosexual
9. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. homosexual