intermediu

Forms

intermediu n (plural intermedii)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian intermedio and French intermède, according to DEX, MDA2, DN, MDN and DILF.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Wiktionary gives Italian alone, and NODEX Latin and French.^[1][7] The DA takes it after French, with Latin intermedius as the model, from inter and medius (“middle”).^[8] The Italian word is a learned word from the Latin adjective, recorded as an adjective in 1598; the French word, earlier ⟨intermedie⟩ (1554), was borrowed from the Italian noun, which named an entertainment between the parts of a play.^[9][10][11] Wiktionary calls it a doublet of intermezzo.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 records it as a theatrical interlude and as a chemical term, a substance added to another to distil, strain or break it down.^[12] Laurian and Massim list it as an adjective, “in the middle, interposed”.^[13] MDA2's first record is Hasdeu's Istoria critică a românilor of 1875, which speaks of the “intermediu” between the Severin and the Siret, the space between two points.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

Two senses came in together: the interlude between the acts of a play, from the Italian and French words, and that which lies in the middle between two things.^[12][8][3] The theatrical sense was the main one in the dictionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century.^[14][15][16] From the second sense came the prepositional phrase prin intermediul “through, by means of”, used by Odobescu and now the usual use of the word.^[8][17] The chemical sense is obsolete.^[3]

Timeline

• 1870 – the theatrical and chemical senses in Costinescu's dictionary.^[12]
• 1871 – an adjective “interposed” in Laurian and Massim.^[13]
• 1875 – “the space between” in Hasdeu.^[3][8]
• 1886 – Barcianu glosses it German Zwischenspiel, Intermezzo.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. Something in the middle, between other things, through which one acts on another: prin intermediul “through, by means of”.^{[2][3][17][1]}
2. (theatre, music) A short comic, musical or dance piece performed between the acts of a play; an interlude, intermezzo.^[2][3]
3. (chemistry, obsolete) A substance added to make the other ingredients mix.^[3][12]

Related words

• intermediar
• intermezzo
• mediu

Usage notes

The word is used mostly in the phrase prin intermediul cuiva (or a ceva): Am aflat vestea prin intermediul unui prieten.^[17][2] The ending -diu is one syllable.^[17]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. 516
3. ^ 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, 1149
4. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. intermediu
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. intermediu
6. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
7. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. intermediu
8. ^ a b c d e 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. intermediu
9. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
11. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
12. ^ a b c d Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 1, 555
13. ^ a b Laurian, A. T.; Massim, I. C. (1871–1876), Dictionariulu limbei romane, 2 vols., Bucuresci: Noua Typographia a Laboratoriloru Romani
14. ^ a b Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 284
15. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. intermediu
16. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 335
17. ^ 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, 532