mostră

Forms

mostră f (plural mostre)^[1] Older and regional variants are mustră, muștră, monstră and the masculine mustru.^[2][3] A letter of 1781 asks for nails made „după cum trimisăi un cui de mustră” “as I sent a nail for a sample”.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Modern Greek μόστρα (móstra, “sample, display”), according to DEX and MDA2.^[5][2][1] In the DLR and the neologism dictionaries it is also borrowed from Italian mostra (“show, sample”), and Tiktin names only the Italian word.^[4][6][3] The DLR explains the variants by other sources: mustră and mustru from German Muster “pattern, sample”, muștră from Hungarian mustra.^[4] Șăineanu took the word from German alone.^[7]

The Greek word is itself from the Italian word.^[8][9] The Italian noun is formed on mostrare (“to show”), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show, point out”).^[9][10] Graur notes that the same Latin verb gave inherited mustra “to scold”.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is from 1766, in a document published by Furnică.^[3] MDA2's first record, from before 1781, has mustră in the sense “pattern, model”: a nail sent as the model for 25,000 more.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the word meant a model to copy, and figuratively an example worth following; the chronicle of Enache Kogălniceanu calls a new office a muștră brought from Wallachia.^[2][4][3] In Banat and Transylvania mustră was a pattern for embroidered waistcoats, and Coșbuc writes of a mustră de cusut “sewing pattern”.^[4][2]

The commercial sense, a sample by which goods are judged, became the main one in the 19th century, with târg de mostre “trade fair”.^[4][5] The figurative sense “example, specimen” lives on.^[5]

Timeline

• 1766 – the first record.^[3]
• before 1781 – un cui de mustră “a nail as a model” in a letter.^[2][4]
• late 18th century – muștră in Enache Kogălniceanu's chronicle.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sample: one item from a series of identical objects, or a small quantity of a material, by which the qualities of the whole can be judged; a specimen: Ne-a trimis o mostră de țesătură. “He sent us a sample of the fabric.”^[5][2]
2. A model; in târg de mostre, a trade fair.^[5][2]
3. (figurative) An example.^[5]

Related words

• mustra
• monstru
• Italian mostra

Usage notes

The variant mustră is regional;^[5] DEX records it beside the standard form.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 61
3. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. mostră
4. ^ 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. mostră
5. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 676
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. mostră
7. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 410
8. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
10. ^ a b Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, p. s.v. minciună