just

Forms

just m or n (feminine singular justă, masculine plural juști, feminine/neuter plural juste)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French juste, the source named by Ciorănescu, the DEX, the DN and the DA.^[2][3][4][5] MDA2, Wiktionary and the NODEX say it was also borrowed from Latin iūstus (“just, lawful”), and Scriban takes it from Latin alone.^[6][1][7][8] The French adjective is itself a learned borrowing from Latin, first recorded around 1120.^[9] The Latin word is formed on iūs (“law, right”).^[10][8]

Ciorănescu groups with it justețe “correctness”, modelled on French justesse, justifica “to justify”, from Latin iūstificō, and justiție “justice”, from Latin iūstitia in the 19th century.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Negulici's dictionary of 1848 lists just among the new words, glossing it “right, equitable, in keeping with justice”, and also gives a noun use for a virtuous, upright man.^[11] MDA2's first record is Titu Maiorescu's Logica, quoted from its fifth edition of 1898.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The DA's quotations show the adjective of conclusions and arguments, “correct, well founded”, and of persons, “fair, acting justly”.^[5] Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 records it also as a noun, “a righteous man”, and as an adverb, “justly; exactly”, matching French juste and au juste.^[12][13] The CADE of 1931 adds “fitting, as it should be”, and the DLRLC of 1955–1957 puts that sense first.^[14][15] The DEX notes that the word is often used as an adverb.^[3]

Timeline

• 1848 – just “right, equitable” in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[11]
• 1870 – Costinescu records the noun “righteous man” and the adverb “exactly”.^[12][13]
• 1898 – Maiorescu's Logica (fifth edition), MDA2's first record.^[6][5]
• 1931 – the CADE records the sense “fitting, as it should be”.^[14]

Meanings

Adjective

1. In accordance with truth or fairness; right, correct, equitable.^[3][6]
2. Of people: acting and judging justly.^[3][6]
3. Well founded, legitimate.^[3][16]
4. Fitting, as it should be; exact.^[3][6]

Adverb

1. Rightly, correctly; exactly.^[6][7]

Related words

• justețe
• justiție
• justifica
• injust
• Latin iūstus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b 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. just
3. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 570
4. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. just
5. ^ a b c 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. just
6. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1295
7. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. just
8. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 722
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ 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. just
12. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 7
13. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 8
14. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. just
15. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 712
16. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. just