metrou

Forms

metrou n (plural metrouri)^[1] A rare variant is metro.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French métro.^[3][2][4][1] The French word is a clipping of métropolitain.^[1] Romanian also has metropolitan in the same sense, now rare.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Cezar Petrescu's novel Oraș patriarhal, in a list of the ways people arrived: by car, by tram, by boat, by metro and on foot.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The DLR's other early quotations come from Stancu's U.R.S.S. and the journal Viața românească of October 1954.^[5] DEX defines it as public transport on an urban railway, mostly underground but also elevated or at street level, and as the train itself.^[3][7] In the Bucharest press of 2001–2002 metrou ușor and metrou de suprafață named a planned light railway on a tram line.^[8]

Timeline

• 1954 – metroul in the journal Viața românească.^[5]
• 2001 – metrou ușor de suprafață “light surface metro” in the Bucharest press.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. An urban railway, usually underground, sometimes elevated or at street level, for public transport; the metro, subway.^[3][2][1]
2. The train that runs on such a line: Am luat metroul până la gară.^[7][4]

Related words

• metropolitan
• metropolă

Usage notes

The plural is metrouri.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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, 1500
3. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 647
4. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. metrou
5. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. metrou
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. metrou
7. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. metrou
8. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. metrou