100s

Romanian words from Latin words first recorded in the 2nd century

6 Romanian words inherited from a Latin word whose earliest known written record dates from the 2nd century, earliest Latin record first.

1. luptă

   125–175

   from Latin lucta

   It is inherited from Late Latin lucta (“wrestling, struggle”), a noun formed on lūctor (“to wrestle”). The Latin verb is a frequentative, which de Vaan derives from a participle meaning “bent” and…

2. mâna

   125–175

   from Latin mino

   It is inherited from Latin minō (“to drive (animals)”), a by-form of minor (“to threaten”). Lewis and Short explain the sense “to drive” by the threatening shouts of cattle drivers; the verb is…

3. călcâi

   160–220

   from Latin calcaneum

   It is inherited from Latin calcāneum (“heel”), from calx (“heel”). It survives south of the Danube as Aromanian cãlcãnju and Megleno-Romanian călcǫn'. Its Romance cognates include Italian calcagno…

4. înger

   160–220

   from Latin angelus

   It is inherited from Late Latin angelus (“angel”), the Church Latin word, which is from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”). The DA counts it among the oldest layer of Christian words in…

5. martor

   197–220

   from Latin martyr

   It is inherited from Latin martyr (“witness; martyr”), or its Vulgar Latin form martur, which the Latin inscriptions show. Latin had the word from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), a later form of…

6. legătură

   200–299

   from Latin ligatura

   It is inherited from Late Latin ligātūra (“a band, binding”). Pușcariu, Candrea and Densusianu and the Academy dictionary also take it straight from Latin, while Ciorănescu lists it among the…

All Romanian words inherited from Latin, by century →