majoritate

Forms

majoritate f (plural majorități)^[1] The old form maioritate is that of the first record: „împietrirea maiorității (mai marelui număr)” “the hardening of the majority (of the greater number)” (1830).^[2][3] A rare variant majorita occurs in a fable: „asupra ursului majorita s-au strâns” “the majority gathered round the bear”.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French majorité, the source that DEX 2009, the DLR and NODEX name, comparing Latin maioritas and German Majorität.^[4][2][5] MDN and MDA2 give all three as sources, and MDA2 adds Italian maggiorità, which the DLR names for the rare variant majorita.^[6][3][2] DN compares French, English majority, Latin and German.^[7]

The French word was borrowed in 1290 from Medieval Latin maioritas (“superiority in number”), a derivative of Latin maior (“greater”).^[8] The political sense, the larger number of votes, grew up in England and passed from there to French;^[9] German borrowed the word in a relatinised form.^[9] Scriban already traced the word through English to French and Romanian.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1830, in the form maioritate and with the sense “the greater number”, glossed in the text itself as „mai marele număr”.^[2][3] In 1835 a document in the Uricariul complains that someone holds the majority of an assembly in unbroken bondage.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Negulici's dictionary of 1848 gives two senses: the state of being of age, and the greater number, especially of voters.^[11] Laurian and Massim also give both, the legal one first.^[12] The legal sense, now majoritate civilă, is also called majorat.^[4][13]

The parliamentary use spread with elections: Heliade has „prin majoritatea glasurilor s-au ales” “they were elected by a majority of votes”, and the phrases majoritate absolută and majoritate relativă are in the dictionaries from Șăineanu on.^[2][14][10] Marea majoritate “the great majority” strengthens the word.^[2]

Timeline

• 1830 – maioritate “the greater number”, the first record.^[2][3]
• 1835 – maioritatea adunării “the majority of the assembly”, in a document in the Uricariul.^[2]
• 1848 – Negulici records the senses “coming of age” and “the greater number”.^[11]
• 1870 – Costinescu refers majoritate to the older spelling maioritate.^[15]

Meanings

Noun

1. The majority: the greater part or the greater number of a group: majoritatea elevilor.^[4][3][1]
2. A numerical superiority required by law or won in an election;^[4][6] majoritate absolută “absolute majority”, at least half the votes plus one;^[4][6] majoritate relativă “relative majority”, more votes than any other candidate.^[4][6]
3. majoritate civilă: legal age, the age at which a person gains full legal capacity.^[4]

Related words

• majorat
• French majorité

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. majoritate
3. ^ 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, 1421
4. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 613
5. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. majoritate
6. ^ a b c d Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. majoritate
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. majoritate
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 594
10. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 769
11. ^ 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. majoritate
12. ^ Laurian, A. T.; Massim, I. C. (1871–1876), Dictionariulu limbei romane, 2 vols., Bucuresci: Noua Typographia a Laboratoriloru Romani, p. s.v. majoritate
13. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. majoritate
14. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 378
15. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 61