nuclear

Forms

nuclear m or n (feminine singular nucleară, masculine plural nucleari, feminine/neuter plural nucleare)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French nucléaire.^[2][3][4][1] Scriban derives it from nucleu, and Wiktionary notes that it can be analysed within Romanian as that noun with the suffix -ar.^[5][1] The French adjective was formed in 1834 on Latin nucleus (“kernel”), a diminutive of nux (“nut”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is Laurian and Massim's dictionary of 1871, and DLR's oldest sense is the biological one, “of the cell nucleus”, for which it cites the same dictionary.^[2][3] Scriban (1939) and CADE still give only that sense: substanța nucleară “nuclear substance”.^[5][7]

Semantic evolution

In French the word passed from biology to physics, “of the atomic nucleus”, in 1919.^[6] In Romanian the physical sense is quoted in DLR from 1949: fizica nucleară “nuclear physics”, then energie nucleară “nuclear energy” and combustibil nuclear “nuclear fuel”.^[3][8] From the 1960s DLR has it in the sense “of atomic weapons”: arme nucleare, experiențe nucleare “nuclear tests”.^[3] DEX now puts the atomic sense first.^[9]

Timeline

• 1871 – first record, in Laurian and Massim's dictionary, of the cell nucleus.^[2][3]
• 1926–1931 – CADE still defines it only by the nucleus of the cell.^[7]
• 1949 – fizica nucleară “nuclear physics” and combustibil nuclear “nuclear fuel” in Contemporanul.^[3]
• 1950 – energie nucleară “nuclear energy”.^[3][8]
• 1961 – arme nucleare “nuclear weapons”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (physics) Of or relating to the nucleus of the atom: fizică nucleară “nuclear physics”, reacție nucleară “nuclear reaction”.^[9][2][1]
2. Based on or using atomic energy: centrală nucleară “nuclear power station”, arme nucleare “nuclear weapons”.^[9][4][10]
3. (biology) Of the nucleus of a cell.^[2][4][5]

Related words

• nucleu

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 173
3. ^ 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. nuclear
4. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. nuclear
5. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 878
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. nucléaire
7. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. nuclear
8. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 227
9. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 723
10. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. nuclear