interpreta

Forms

interpreta (first-person singular present interpretez, third-person singular present interpretează, past participle interpretat), 1st conjugation.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is a 19th-century neologism, borrowed from French interpréter, with Latin interpretor (“to explain, interpret”) named beside it.^[2][3][1][4] The DA calls it a neologism after French, and gives the Latin verb as a parallel.^[5]

The French verb is from the Latin one.^[1] The Latin verb is formed on interpres (“agent, translator”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Negulici's dictionary of neologisms (1848) has the Latinist form interpretare, explained as translating from one language into another and making clear what is obscure or hidden.^[6] MDA2 gives the first record in the fourth volume of Titu Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was linguistic: to translate, and to explain an obscure text.^[6][7] From explaining texts and laws the verb passed to the more general sense of giving something a meaning, often not the true one, as in Maiorescu's speeches.^[5][8] The DA already records the theatrical sense, to play a role, and modern dictionaries add the performance of music and of literary works.^[5][2] CADE also lists explaining a dream and reading a meaning into someone's silence.^[8]

Timeline

• 1848 – interpretare “to translate, to explain” in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[6]
• after 1888 – interpreta “to give a meaning” in the fourth volume of Maiorescu's parliamentary speeches.^[3][5]
• 1893–1895 – Damé glosses it with French interpréter.^[9]
• 1931 – CADE lists the senses “translate”, “comment on a text”, “take in a good or bad sense” and “perform”.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give a fact or thing a particular meaning; to understand someone's words or deeds in a certain way.^[2][3]
2. To explain and comment on a text, especially an old one, or a law.^[2][10]
3. To perform a musical, dramatic or literary work; to play a role in a play or film.^[2][3]
4. (dated) To translate from one language into another.^[8][7]

Word family

• interpretare

Related words

• interpret
• interpretație
• Latin interpres

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 517
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, 1151
4. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
5. ^ 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. interpreta
6. ^ a b c 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
7. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 335
8. ^ a b c d Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească
9. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État
10. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România