molicel

Forms

molicel m or n (feminine singular molicea or molicică, masculine plural molicei, feminine/neuter plural molicele)^[1] Regional variants are molcel and mulcel.^[2][1]

Etymology

DEX and Wikționar derive it from Romanian moale + -icel, with the feminines in -icea and -icică.^[3][4] moale is from Latin mollis (“soft”).^[5]

Pușcariu and Scriban took it from Latin mollicellus (“soft, tender”), and Candrea and Densusianu did the same for the variant molcel.^[6][7][5] MDA2 and Wiktionary give the Romanian derivative and compare the Latin word.^[2][1] The Latin diminutive is rare: Catullus has it of hands.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the Lexicon de la Buda of 1825.^[2][10] Later dictionaries of the 19th century, Polizu, Barcianu and Costinescu among them, also list it.^[10] Costinescu gives it with its French equivalents mollet and pain mollet, for a soft-boiled egg and fresh bread.^[11]

Semantic evolution

It is the familiar diminutive of moale and follows its senses.^[3][10] Several uses are regional: carne molicea “tender meat”, juicy fruit, and runny polenta or fine flour.^[10][2] Ou molicel is a soft-boiled egg, and pâine molicică fresh bread.^[10][11] Of people it means “sluggish, lacking will”, and molicel de gură is said of someone who says little.^[2][10] Said of drinks, it means low in alcohol.^[2]

Timeline

• 1825 – molicel in the Lexicon de la Buda, the first record.^[2]
• 1870 – ou molicel and pâine molicea in Costinescu's dictionary.^[11]
• 1886 – molicel “softish” in Barcianu's dictionary.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (popular, familiar) Diminutive of moale: softish, nicely soft; molișor.^[3][1]
2. (of bread) fresh;^[10][2] (of an egg) soft-boiled;^[10][2] (regional, of meat) tender.^[10][2]
3. (of people) Sluggish, lacking energy or will.^[2]
4. (of drinks) Low in alcohol.^[2]

Related words

• moale
• molcuț
• molișor
• moleață
• Latin mollicellus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 45
3. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 668
4. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org
5. ^ a b 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. moale
6. ^ Pușcariu, Sextil (1905), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der rumänischen Sprache I: Lateinisches Element, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 95
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 828
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ 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. molicel
11. ^ a b c Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 111
12. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 389