obligatoriu

Forms

obligatoriu m or n (feminine singular obligatorie, plural obligatorii)^[1]

Etymology

MDA2, the DLR, DEX and the neologism dictionaries give two sources: it is borrowed from Latin obligātōrius (“binding”) it is borrowed from French obligatoire as well.^[2][3][4][5] Tiktin names only the Latin.^[6] Wiktionary adds that it can be analysed as obliga with the suffix -toriu.^[1]

The Latin adjective, “imposing a legal obligation”, is formed on obligō (“to bind”) with -tōrius; it is a post-classical word of the law books.^[7][8] The French word is from the same Late Latin source.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1742, and also notes an obsolete feminine noun obligatorie.^[6] MDA2 and the DLR start with a document of 1866 in the Uricariul, on the binding character of conventions, in the form obligator.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word belonged to law: Negulici in 1848 defines it as having the power to oblige by law, and the Latinist Barițiu writes of the binding force (putere obligatoare) of a law voted in the diet.^[9][3] Pontbriant in 1862 still marks it as a neologism.^[10] The variant obligator lived beside it;^[11] CADE in 1931 gives both forms, with compulsory military service as its example.^[11][4] The modern senses are “compulsory, to be followed exactly” and, rarely, “indispensable”.^[4][2]

Timeline

• 1742 – first record cited by Tiktin.^[6]
• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[9]
• 1866 – obligator in a document of the Uricariul.^[3][2]
• 1870 – Costinescu's dictionary glosses it with French obligatoire.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. compulsory, mandatory: that must be followed exactly or must be done; imposed: serviciu militar obligatoriu “compulsory military service”.^[4][13]
2. (rare) That cannot be missing; indispensabil.^[4][2]

Related words

• obliga

Usage notes

The variant obligator (feminine obligatoare) is still recorded;^[14] MDA2 lists regional obligătoriu and obligător too.^[4][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 184
3. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. obligatóriu
4. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 729
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. obligatoriu
6. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. obligatóriu
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. obligātōrius
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. obligatorius
9. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. obligatoriu
10. ^ Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 500
11. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. obligatoriu
12. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 189
13. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. obligatoriu
14. ^ 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. halat