Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Romanian word jugar

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1703 a text cited by Tiktin More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origin
Latin iugum
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin iugum
Italian giogo
Romanian jug
Romanian jugar
From the same root
Latin biiugus ← iugum
Latin iugālis ← iugum
Latin iugō ← iugum
Latin iugulum ← iugum
Latin quadrīga ← iugum
Latin subiugius ← iugum
Latin subiugō ← iugum
Romanian înjuga ← iugum

Pronunciation

Forms

jugar m or n (feminine singular jugară, masculine plural jugari, feminine/neuter plural jugare)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian jug + -ar, “of the yoke”.[2][3][4][1] Pușcariu, REW and Candrea–Densusianu took it instead directly from Latin iugārius (“bearing the yoke”), and Cihac and Șăineanu gave the same etymon.[2][5][6][7][1] Candrea and Densusianu compare Spanish yuguero and Portuguese jugueiro.[5] The noun is from Latin iugum (“yoke”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1703.[4] MDA2 dates it from Ion Ionescu de la Brad's Vitele albe din Englitera (1842).[3] Ionescu's farming calendar has the Moldavian form: „boii giugari și argații să fie gata a se apuca de muncă” “the draught oxen and the farmhands should be ready to set to work”.[4][8]

Semantic evolution

It is chiefly used in bou jugar “draught ox” and, in Tiktin, cal jugar “draught horse”.[4][9] Used on its own as a noun it means a yoked ox in regional speech.[10][1] The Moldavian form is giugar.[4][3]

Timeline

  • 1703 – the first record.[4]
  • 1842 – in Ion Ionescu de la Brad, MDA2's first record.[3]
  • 1886 – bou jugar “draught ox” in Barcianu's dictionary.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (dated, of cattle) Of the yoke; fit to be put to the yoke, used for draught.[3][1]

Noun

  1. (regional) A draught ox.[10][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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. jug
  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, 1291
  4. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. jugar
  5. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. jugar
  6. ^ Cihac, A. de (1870), Dictionnaire d'étymologie daco-romane I: Éléments latins comparés avec les autres langues romanes, Frankfurt am Main, p. 135
  7. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 351
  8. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. jugar
  9. ^ 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. 335
  10. ^ a b Bulgăr, Gheorghe; Constantinescu-Dobridor, Gheorghe (2002), Dicționar de arhaisme și regionalisme, 2 vols., București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. jugar

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

“Jugar.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/jugar. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·