măior

Forms

măior n (plural măioare)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian mai (“mallet”) + -or, as a diminutive.^[2][3][1] DLR and MDA2 compare Latin malleolus (“small hammer”), from which Candrea–Densusianu derive it directly, comparing dialect forms of northern Italy that mean “mallet”.^[2][3][4] The Latin word is a diminutive of malleus (“hammer”), and its descendants include Italian magliuolo, Old French maillol and Spanish majuela.^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The only record is a folk text in Viciu's glossary of Transylvanian words: „Și tare mi-l bătea Pin talpe, pin palme, Cu cuie de oțel Și cu măior de fier” “and they beat him hard on the soles and the palms, with nails of steel and an iron mallet”.^[2][3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional) a small hammer or mallet.^[2][3][4][1]

Related words

• mai
• Latin malleolus

Usage notes

DLR and MDA2 give no plural;^[2][3][1] Wiktionary has măioare.^[2][3][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. măior
3. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1449
4. ^ a b c d Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. malleolus