manieră

Forms

manieră f (plural maniere)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French manière, according to MDA2, DEX, DLR, Tiktin and Marcu; the dictionary of Marcu and Maneca adds Italian maniera.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} The French noun is the feminine, used as a noun, of the adjective Old French manier (“handled, worked by hand; skilful”), from Latin manuārius (“of the hand”), a derivative of manus (“hand”).^[8][9] Wiktionary also allows Vulgar Latin *manāria as the immediate source.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 and DLR cite the first record from Grigore Pleșoianu's 1831 translation of Fénelon's Télémaque, with the plural of manners: „manierile sale cele simple” “his simple manners”.^[2][4] Tiktin dates a record in Cornelli to about 1832.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The plural sense “manners, behaviour in society” came first, and Asachi and Negruzzi used it soon after.^[4] The general sense “way, mode” is recorded in 1836, in a remark on the way Spaniards wash wool.^[4] Heliade Rădulescu used it for the particular style of a writer, and Caragiale for the mechanical repetition of devices that makes a style artificial.^[4]

A book of etiquette published in 1870 was called Codul manierelor elegante “The code of elegant manners”, and the phrase became a set expression;^[5][3] DEX notes that the current one is codul bunelor maniere.^[5][3] DLR marks the adverbial phrase de așa manieră “in such a way” as a Gallicism.^[4]

Timeline

• 1831 – manieri “manners” in Pleșoianu's Telemah.^[2][4]
• c. 1832 – a record in Cornelli.^[5]
• 1836 – the sense “way, mode”.^[4]
• 1848 – listed by Negulici, glossed with fel and chip.^[10]
• 1870 – the book title Codul manierelor elegante.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (in the plural) manners: the way one behaves in society; bearing, conduct.^[3][4][11]
2. (in the singular) politeness, courtesy, good breeding.^[3][4]
3. A way, mode or procedure: de așa manieră “in such a way”.^[3][4][1]
4. The set of devices and means of expression that make up an artist's or writer's own style;^[3][4] (pejorative) the mechanical repetition of such devices, mannerism.^[3][4]

Word family

• manierat

Usage notes

The plural is maniere; older texts also have manieri.^[4][2]

References

1. ^ a b c 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, 1428
3. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 616
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. manieră
5. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. manieră
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 772
10. ^ 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
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. manieră