masaj

Forms

masaj n (plural masaje)^[1] The old form masagiu occurs in a letter of Alecsandri: „deși masagiul aduce pe bietul pacient în stare de-aluat plămădit fără milă” “though the massage leaves the poor patient like dough kneaded without mercy”.^[2][3] Beside the usual plural masaje there is a rare masajuri.^[4][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French massage, a late 19th-century medical loan.^{[4][3][2][5][1]} The French noun is formed on the verb masser (“to massage”) with the suffix -age.^[1][6] The old form ⟨masagiu⟩ adapted the French ending to the Romanian suffix -agiu.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is in Alecsandri's letters, in the form masagiu and the medical sense, describing a spa cure with warm water.^[3][2] The letters were published in 1904.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its medical sense, a treatment that stimulates and relaxes the muscles by rubbing and kneading, by hand or with apparatus.^[4][2] The DLR cites Barcianu's dictionary for it and quotes Caragiale's mocking account of ancient cures by masajuri sistematice, and Camil Petrescu's masaj electric.^[2] The phrase a face un masaj “to massage” is used jokingly for a beating.^[2] In slang it is a euphemism for sex, from the cover of prostitutes working as masseuses.^[7]

Timeline

• 1886 – recorded in Barcianu's dictionary.^[2]
• 1904 – Alecsandri's letters, with the form masagiu, are published;^[8] MDA2's first record.^[3]
• 1931 – CADE defines it as rubbing and kneading the muscles to activate the circulation.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. massage: a treatment that stimulates and relaxes the muscles and activates the circulation, by rubbing or light blows with the hands or with special apparatus.^[4][3]
2. masaj cardiac: cardiac massage, a method of resuscitation after cardiac arrest.^[4][9]
3. (colloquial, jocular) a face un masaj: to give someone a beating.^[2]
4. (slang, euphemistic) Sexual contact, foreplay.^[7]

Related words

• masa
• maseur
• maseuză

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. masaj
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1438
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 621
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. masaj
6. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 778
7. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. masaj
8. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. masaj
9. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 23