lent

Forms

lent m or n (feminine singular lentă, masculine plural lenți, feminine/neuter plural lente)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French lent (“slow”), with Latin lentus as a second model, a neologism of the 19th century.^[2][3] MDA2, the DA and the DLR name French alone,^[4][5][6] the dictionary of neologisms adds Italian lento,^[7] and Scriban took it straight from Latin.^[8] The French adjective is inherited from the Latin one.^[9][1]

The Latin adjective meant “pliant, flexible; tough; sticky; slow”.^[10] De Vaan derives it from Proto-Indo-European *lent-o- (“soft, smooth, pliant”) and compares Lithuanian lentà (“board, plank”) and the Germanic word for the linden tree,^[10] while the DHLF calls its origin obscure.^[9] The same Latin adjective lies behind the inherited verb alinta “to caress, to pamper”, which DEX derives from Vulgar Latin *allentāre;^[11] Ciorănescu gives this view beside Candrea and Densusianu's derivation from Latin lēnis (“gentle”).^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

Negulici's dictionary of neologisms of 1848 has lent with the senses “late, slow; not working with activity or quickness”.^[13] MDA2's first record is a passage of Nicolae Filimon threatening a “slow and painful death”, which the DLR also quotes first.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the French sense “slow, gradual” throughout.^[6][2] Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 spells it etymologically, lentu.^[14] From medical French fièvre lente, the old language took the feminine as a noun, lentă “low continuous fever”, with an adjective for a person suffering from it; both are now obsolete.^[5] MDA2 records a rare old synonym, lentos.^[4]

In the 20th century the adjective spread to writing on science and the arts: the slow progress of things, the slow transformation of species, a slow chemical reaction.^[6] Scriban also notes a figurative use for a dull, sluggish mind.^[8]

Timeline

• 1848 – lent “slow” in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[13]
• 1870 – lentu in Costinescu's dictionary.^[14]
• 1931 – CADE marks it as a neologism from French.^[15]

Meanings

Adjective

1. slow, unhurried; happening gradually, little by little: o moarte lentă “a slow death”.^[2][6][1]
2. Whose effect is not quick to show.^[4]
3. (of people and their actions) Lacking speed, liveliness or promptness; sluggish.^[4][16]
4. (as an adverb) Slowly: Râul curge lent.^[8][16]

Related words

• alinta
• Latin lentus

Usage notes

In slang, lent (plural lenți) is a separate noun, a clipping of locotenent “lieutenant”.^[17]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 586
3. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. lent
4. ^ 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, 1347
5. ^ a b 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. lent
6. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. lent
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. lent
8. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 739
9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 30
12. ^ 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. alinta
13. ^ 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. lent
14. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 29
15. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. lent
16. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. lent
17. ^ Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. lent