măsura

Forms

măsura (third-person singular present măsoară, past participle măsurat, third-person subjunctive măsoare), first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin mēnsūrō (“to measure”), a verb first recorded in the 4th century and formed on mēnsūra (“measure”).^[2][3][1] Candrea–Densusianu, Tiktin and the REW take it straight from the Latin verb, while Ciorănescu treats it as a Romanian derivative of măsură.^[4] The verb survives as Aromanian misur.^[5][4] The Latin noun is formed on mētior (“to measure”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583), in the account of Paul's shipwreck (Acts 27:28): the sailors măsurară “sounded” and found twenty fathoms.^[2][3] The Psaltirea Scheiană has it at Psalm 59:8.^[6]

Semantic evolution

From measuring land and quantities the verb came to mean weighing, and a măsura laptele or oile is the shepherds' weighing of the milk of a flock to share out the cheese.^[2][7] The Bible of 1688 has the saying „cu ce măsură măsurați, să va măsura voao” “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2), which became a proverb, as did măsoară de multe ori și croiește o dată “measure many times and cut once”.^[6]

Figuratively one measures a valley with the eyes, measures one's words, or measures oneself against a rival; jocularly a măsura pe cineva (pe spinare) is to give someone a beating.^[6][8]

Timeline

• c. 1563–1583 – first record, măsurară “they sounded”, in the Codicele Voronețean.^[2][3]
• c. 1573–1578 – in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[6]
• 1648 – „scoală și măsură beseareca lui Dumnezău” “rise and measure the temple of God” in the New Testament of Bălgrad.^[3]
• 1688 – the saying of Matthew 7:2 in the Bucharest Bible.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To measure: to find the value of a quantity (length, mass, voltage …) with instruments or standards; specifically, to weigh.^[8][1]
2. (rare) To deal out punishment or blows;^[8] (jocular) a măsura pe cineva pe spinare “to give someone a beating”.^[8]
3. To assess, to evaluate the worth or size of something.^[8]
4. To walk across, to go from one end of a space to the other.^[8][1]
5. To take in a place with the eyes; to scrutinize; to look someone up and down, attentively or with contempt.^[8][1]
6. (intransitive) To have a given size: to measure so many metres.^[9][1]
7. (figurative) To weigh, to moderate one's words or gestures.^[8][1]
8. (reflexive and transitive) To measure oneself against someone in strength or skill;^[8][1] a-și măsura puterile “to compete, to fight”.^[8][1]

Word family

• măsurabil
• măsurare
• măsurat
• măsurător
• măsurătoare

Related words

• măsură
• Aromanian misur
• Latin mēnsūra

Usage notes

The present is măsor, măsoară;^[2] măsur is old and regional, mesur regional, and some regions say amăsura.^[2] The noun is măsură.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 1461
3. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. măsura
4. ^ 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. măsură
5. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 660
6. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. măsurá
7. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. măsura
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 630
9. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. măsura