Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Romanian word medicament

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French médicament
Ultimate origin
Latin medeor
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English medicament
Romanian medicament
Spanish medicamento

Pronunciation

  • /me.di.kaˈment/[1]

Forms

medicament n (plural medicamente)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French médicament, also borrowed from Latin medicāmentum (“drug, remedy”), as MDA2, DEX 2009, the DLR and the MDN give it.[2][3][4][5][6] The DN names French with a reference to Latin, Wiktionary only French, and Scriban only Latin.[7][1][8] The French word is itself borrowed from the Latin one.[1] Graur groups the Latin noun with medicus (“doctor”) and medicīna, all from medeor (“to care for, heal”), the source of Romanian medic and medicină.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record that MDA2 and the DLR cite is a text abbreviated Înv. vin.[2][4] Negulici's dictionary of neologisms of 1848 lists it with Latin medicamentum and the glosses remed, remediu and leac.[10]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has not changed: a substance prepared to cure, relieve or prevent a disease.[3][2] It stands beside the older words doctorie and the popular leac, and the older and regional medicină in the same sense.[3][4] The DLR quotes an old plural medicamenturi from Cuparencu, and MDA2 records an old variant medicamânt.[4][2]

Timeline

  • 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.[10]
  • 1870 – in Costinescu's dictionary, as a foreign word.[11]
  • 1886 – in Barcianu's Romanian–German dictionary.[12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A medicine, drug: a natural or synthetic substance used to cure, relieve or prevent a disease.[3][2][1]

Usage notes

The plural is medicamente;[3][2][4] medicamenturi is old.[3][2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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, 1479
  3. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 636
  4. ^ 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. medicament
  5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
  6. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
  7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
  8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 792
  9. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. 60
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci
  12. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 376

Related etymologies

  • cap · also from French
  • dura · also from French
  • pur · also from French
  • pană · also from French
  • pat · also from French
  • masă · also from French
  • lac · also from French
  • primar · also from French
Cite this entry

“Medicament.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/medicament. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·