motel

Forms

motel n (plural moteluri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French motel and English motel: DEX, MDN and DILF name both languages, a case of multiple etymology.^[2][3][4] DLR and MDA2 give English alone, DN French alone, and Wiktionary French, itself from English.^[5][6][7][1]

The American English word, recorded from 1925, is a blend of English motor and hotel;^[8] French borrowed it in 1947.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Dimitrescu's first record is in Scînteia of 6 November 1960, in a report on the Moscow highway, which explains moteluri as “moto-hotels” where drivers in transit could rest while their cars were serviced.^[9] DLR and MDA2 quote the same newspaper in 1966, on the inns with snack bars that would appear along the roads.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1967 Flacăra could already call the motel a long-familiar notion: the hotel for motorists.^[5] DEX 2009 defines it as a small or medium hotel by a busy road.^[2]

Timeline

• 1960 – moteluri in Scînteia, explained as “moto-hotels”.^[9]
• 1966 – motelurile in Scînteia, the first record in DLR and MDA2.^[5][6]
• 1967 – “the hotel for motorists” in Flacăra.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. motel: a small or medium-sized hotel by a busy road, with lodging for travellers and parking for their vehicles.^[2][6]

Related words

• hotel
• English motel

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 676
3. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. motel
4. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
5. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. motel
6. ^ 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. 2, 64
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. motel
8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. motel