meresân

Forms

meresân n (plural meresânuri)^[1] The commoner form is mărăsân (mărăsin in the older spelling), recorded by Reteganul: „Esta-i mărăsân rău” “this is a bad omen”.^[2][3] Viciu's glossary has the variant mărășin.^[2][4]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[2][3] Wiktionary, DLRM and CADE take it as inherited from Latin malesānus (“unhealthy”), the derivation Drăganu proposed in the journal Dacoromania;^{[1][5][6][4][2]} MDA2 and DLR only compare that Latin word.^{[1][5][6][4][2]} Ciorănescu finds this unconvincing and suggests instead Latin mala signa (“bad signs”).^[3] Wiktionary notes that this would need an irregular sound change, since semn shows the regular outcome of signum.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The form meresân is first recorded in Tache Papahagi's collection from Maramureș of 1925: „Când cântă găina cocoșește, atunci e de meresân” “when the hen crows like a cock, it is a bad omen”.^[7][2] MDA2's first record for mărăsân is a story by Reteganul quoted in Dacoromania.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to popular superstition in Transylvania and Maramureș: a portent, a sign that something bad will happen.^[2][4] An example in CADE is meeting someone carrying an empty vessel, which counts as a bad omen.^[6]

Timeline

• 1925 – meresân “bad omen” in Tache Papahagi's Maramureș material.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional, Transylvania and Maramureș) A bad omen, an ill sign.^[4][2][1]

Related words

• mărăsân

Usage notes

The word is used only in the singular, mostly in the phrase e de meresân “it is a bad sign”.^[2][7] MDA2 and DLR list it under mărăsân.^[8][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. mărăsân
3. ^ a b c 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. mărăsin
4. ^ 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, 1455
5. ^ a b Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 486
6. ^ a b c Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. mărăsin
7. ^ a b c Ștef, Dorin (2011), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din Maramureș, Baia Mare: Ethnologica, p. s.v. meresân
8. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1489
9. ^ Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. meresân