lăsăciune

Forms

lăsăciune f (plural lăsăciuni)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian lăsa (“to leave, let go”) + -ăciune.^[2][3][4][5] lăsa continues Latin laxō (“to loosen”).^[5] Candrea–Densusianu derive the noun from Latin laxātiō (“loosening”), with the same shift of meaning as in the old senses of the verb, and Scriban allows either source.^[6][7] The Latin noun meant a loosening or free space.^[8] Wiktionary gives both explanations.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583), at Acts 26:18, on receiving forgiveness of sins: „se preemească ei lăsăciuni păcateloru”.^[4][2] Coresi's Tetraevanghel of 1574 has „întru lăsăciunile păcatelor” “for the remission of sins”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to the old religious language and shares the old senses of lăsa “to let go, forgive”.^[6] Besides forgiveness it meant release from captivity, in Coresi's Gospel homilies (preaching lăsăciune to the captives), and separation or divorce: the New Testament of 1648 speaks of the carte de lăsăciune, the bill of divorce Moses allowed.^[2][3] It is now obsolete.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1563–1583 – lăsăciuni “forgiveness” in the Codicele Voronețean, the first record.^[4][2]
• 1574 – lăsăciunile păcatelor in Coresi's Tetraevanghel.^[2]
• c. 1580 – lăsăciunea păcatelor in a text published by Cipariu.^[2]
• 1648 – carte de lăsăciune “bill of divorce” in the New Testament of 1648.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (obsolete) forgiveness, iertare, especially the remission of sins.^[2][3][1]
2. (obsolete) Separation, divorce.^[2][3]
3. (obsolete) release, deliverance.^[2][3]

Related words

• lăsa

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. lăsăciune
3. ^ 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, 1326
4. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. lăsăciúne
5. ^ 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. lăsa
6. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. lăsăciune
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 733
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press