impune

Forms

impune (first-person singular present impun, simple perfect impusei, past participle impus, subjunctive impună) 3rd conjugation^[1][2] Older writers also spell it împune: Russo complains of grammatical forms „ce ne împun școalele” “that the schools impose on us”.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is a learned borrowed from Latin impōnō (“to place upon; to impose”), reshaped after the native verb pune “to put”, which gives it its conjugation; its senses follow French imposer.^[1][5][2][6] Ciorănescu dates the borrowing to the 19th century.^[5] The DN names both the French and the Latin verb, and NODEX only the French one.^[7][8]

The Latin verb is formed from in- and pōnō (“to put”).^[3][9] The French verb continues the same Latin verb, latinised in 1302 from older Old French emposer.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is a manuscript of Micu of 1781.^[10] The DA puts first the Catholic phrase a impune mâinile, laying hands on someone's head to bless them, before the everyday senses.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the verb took the French senses: to force an idea, a duty or a task on someone (Russo, Negruzzi, Odobescu), to inflict a punishment, and to impose a tax.^[3][11] A impune tăcere “to impose silence” is in Costinescu and Șăineanu.^[3][11] The reflexive a se impune means to be necessary (se impune discreție “discretion is called for”) and, of a person, to win respect or to prevail.^[3][1] Used without an object it means to inspire respect or awe.^[1][12]

The rare synonym impoza is the French verb borrowed directly; impozit “tax” comes from Latin impositum.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 1781 – in a manuscript of Micu, the first record.^[10]
• 19th century – the borrowing spreads, with Ciorănescu's date.^[5]
• 1870 – a impune tăcere in Costinescu's dictionary.^[3]
• 1875 – Antonescu glosses it with French imposer and infliger.^[13]
• 1893 – Damé notes that it is conjugated like a pune.^[14]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To impose: to make an idea, a measure or a rule accepted and followed; to make an action necessary; to compel someone to accept or do something: Profesorul ne-a impus un termen. “The teacher set us a deadline.”^[1][4][2]
2. (intransitive) To inspire respect, esteem or fear;^[1][4] (transitive) to make someone respected or feared.^[1][4]
3. (reflexive) To gain prestige, to assert oneself; to prevail; also, of a thing, to be necessary.^[1][3]
4. (transitive) To tax: to subject someone to a tax.^[1][4]
5. (transitive) To inflict a punishment or apply a rule.^[4][3]

Word family

• impunător

Related words

• pune
• impozit
• impozant
• Latin impōnō
• French imposer

Usage notes

In the Catholic rite a impune mâinile is to lay one's hands on someone's head in blessing.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 496
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. impune
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1121
5. ^ a b c d 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. impune
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. impune
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. impune
8. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. impune
9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ 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. impune
11. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 311
12. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. impune
13. ^ Antonescu, G. M. (1875), Dictionariu romanu-francesu, Bucuresci: Typografia Curții (Lucrători Associați), p. 131
14. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. impune