nemaipomenit

Forms

nemaipomenit m or n (feminine singular nemaipomenită, masculine plural nemaipomeniți, feminine/neuter plural nemaipomenite)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian ne- + mai + pomenit: the negative prefix, an adverb meaning “again, ever”, and the past participle of pomeni “to mention”.^[2][3][4][1] The literal sense is “never mentioned before”.^[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 and the DLR date the first record to 1903: „A dat dovadă de un nemaipomenit sânge rece” “he showed an unheard-of composure”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From “unheard-of, unprecedented” the adjective came to mean “extraordinary, amazing”.^[2][3] As an adverb it is used of degree, and before an adjective with de it forms an absolute superlative: nemaipomenit de hotărât “extremely resolute” (Galan).^[2][3] Its synonyms are nemaiauzit and nepomenit.^[3]

Timeline

• 1903 – the first record.^[3][2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. unheard-of, unprecedented: such as no one has ever mentioned.^[4][3][1]
2. extraordinary, amazing, formidable: Am avut o vacanță nemaipomenită. “We had an amazing holiday.”^[4][1]

Adverb

1. In an extraordinary way.^[3][2]
2. (with de, before an adjective) extremely: un drum nemaipomenit de lung “an extremely long road”.^[3][2][1]

Related words

• nepomenit
• pomeni
• nemaiauzit

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 Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. nemaipomenit
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 131
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 705