legătură

Forms

legătură f (plural legături)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin ligātūra (“a band, binding”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Pușcariu, Candrea and Densusianu and the Academy dictionary also take it straight from Latin, while Ciorănescu lists it among the Romanian derivatives of lega with the suffix -tură.^[7] Wiktionary gives both views.^[1] The Latin noun is formed on ligō (“to tie, bind”).^[1]

Its relatives in the sister branches are Aromanian ligătură and Istro-Romanian legătura.^[7][8] The Romance languages have Italian legatura, French liure, Occitan liadura, Catalan lligadura and Spanish ligadura.^[6][8] ligatură is the same Latin word borrowed again in modern times.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the plural legăturile “their bonds” in Psalm 2:3 of the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, from the early 16th century.^[9][2] Tiktin's first record is the same verse in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In the psalters the word means a bond or fetter, and the plural kept the sense “fetters, chains” for a long time: a document of 1795 orders that those who cross the border be sent to the bishopric „în legături” “in fetters”.^[5][7] It also named the thing tied up, a bundle (o legătură de nuiele “a bundle of switches”), a bandage, the binding of a book and the iron fittings of a door.^[5][7] The Bible of 1688 has „Preceput-ai legătura găinușii?” “hast thou understood the bands of the Pleiades?” (Job 38:31).^[5]

From the physical tie came the figurative “connection, relationship”, and in old usage “alliance, pact, agreement”.^[5][7][3] Folk belief gave it the sense of a spell that “binds” a person, above all one that keeps a newly married man from his wife.^[5][7] It also names a kerchief (basma), in Muntenia one that women tie over the forehead, and in prison slang handcuffs.^[3][10][11] Modern technical senses include a chemical bond, a communication link and a hyperlink.^[1]

Timeline

• early 16th century – legăturile “their bonds” in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki.^[9][2]
• c. 1551–1558 – legături in the Psaltirea Voroneț.^[12]
• 1688 – legătura of the Pleiades in the Bucharest Bible.^[5]
• 1795 – the plural legături “fetters” in a document.^[5]
• 1825 – legătură in the Lexicon de la Buda, with Latin ligatura and junctura.^[13]

Meanings

Noun

1. A joint: the way two bodies are joined so that their movement is limited and motion can pass from one to the other; a binding.^[3][2]
2. A means of communication by air, telegraph or the like; a link.^[3]
3. A piece or device, often flexible, that ties or fastens objects together; a strap or tie.^[3]
4. A kerchief.^[3]
5. The binding of a book or notebook.^[3][5]
6. A bundle of things tied together in a cloth or with a string.^[3][5]
7. A relation between phenomena, people or groups; a connection.^[3]
8. A relationship of kinship, love or friendship.^[3]
9. Contact kept up between people, institutions or states: a păstra legătura.^[3]
10. (obsolete) an agreement, a pact.^[3][7]
11. Coherence between the parts of an argument.^[3]

Word family

• legăturică

Related words

• lega
• legare
• legat
• legător
• ligatură
• Aromanian ligătură
• Latin ligātūra

Usage notes

The compound preposition în legătură cu means “concerning, about”.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1339
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 584
4. ^ Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. legătură
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. legătură
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 5026
7. ^ a b c d e f g 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. lega
8. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. legătură
9. ^ a b Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Ungureanu, Mădălina; Moruz, Alexandru et al., roPsalt: Re-evaluating the Sixteenth Century Romanian Psalters (aligned corpus), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. Ps 2:3
10. ^ Marin, Maria; Mărgărit, Iulia, Glosar dialectal. Muntenia, București: Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti”, p. 233
11. ^ Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. legătură
12. ^ Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Ungureanu, Mădălina; Moruz, Alexandru et al., roPsalt: Re-evaluating the Sixteenth Century Romanian Psalters (aligned corpus), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. Ps 106:14
13. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 347