Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Romanian word incendiu

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1832 More words from the 19th century
Borrowed from
Latin incendium
Ultimate origin
Latin candeō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin incendō
Romanian încinge
Latin incendium
Italian incendio
Romanian incendiu
Spanish incendio
From the same root
Latin incēnsum ← incendō
Latin incendiārius ← incendium

Forms

incendiu n (plural incendii)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned borrowing borrowed from Latin incendium (“conflagration”), as DEX, MDA2 and the DA give it.[2][3][4] DEX, DN and Wikționar compare Italian incendio and French incendie,[2][5][6] which Tiktin and MDN name as sources, Tiktin without the Latin word;[7][8] Wiktionary takes it from Italian or French.[1]

The Latin noun is formed from incendō (“to set on fire”) with -ium,[9] and the verb from in- and candeō (“to burn, glow”).[10][11] The Italian word is recorded from the 13th century, the French one from 1605.[12][11] Graur puts the word in the family of candid, candoare and candelabru.[13]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1832.[7] Negulici's dictionary of 1848 defines it as a fire that consumes a house, a town or a forest.[14]

Semantic evolution

The sense “great, destructive fire” has not changed.[2] Costinescu in 1870 adds a figurative sense, “disorders in a state, great wars”, which CADE still gives in 1931 as “turmoil, revolts, wars”.[15][16] The DA notes the derivatives incendia “to set on fire” and incendiar “arsonist; incendiary”, both formed after French models.[4]

Timeline

  • 1832 – first record.[7]
  • 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.[14]
  • 1870 – Costinescu records the figurative sense “great disorders in a state”.[15]
  • 1871 – Laurian and Massim give the plural incendie.[17]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A large fire that engulfs and destroys a building, a forest etc.; pârjol.[2][18]
  2. (figurative, dated) Great turmoil in a state: revolts, wars.[15][16]

Word family

  • incendia
  • incendiar

Usage notes

The plural is incendii; the 19th-century dictionaries of Laurian and Massim and of Damé give incendie.[2][17][19] Tiktin records an obsolete form incendie of the singular too.[7]

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. 498
  3. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1124
  4. ^ a b 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. incendiu
  5. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. incendiu
  6. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org
  7. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. incendiu
  8. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. incendiu
  9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  11. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică
  14. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. incendiu
  15. ^ a b c Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 536
  16. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. incendiu
  17. ^ a b Laurian, A. T.; Massim, I. C. (1871–1876), Dictionariulu limbei romane, 2 vols., Bucuresci: Noua Typographia a Laboratoriloru Romani, p. s.v. incendiu
  18. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. incendiu
  19. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. incendiu

Related etymologies

  • apă · also from Latin
  • bun · also from Latin
  • unde · also from Latin
  • veni · also from Latin
  • noi · also from Latin
  • bine · also from Latin
  • un · also from Latin
  • și · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Incendiu.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/incendiu. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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