ocazional

Forms

ocazional m or n (feminine singular ocazională, masculine plural ocazionali, feminine/neuter plural ocazionale)^[1] The DLR records the old spelling ocasional.^[2] Negulici wrote it in the transitional alphabet as оккazionaʌ.^[3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French occasionnel.^[4][5][1] The DLR and MDA2 also name Italian occasionale as a source.^[2][6] Scriban sets Medieval Latin occasionalis beside the French word.^[7] The adjective occasionnel is formed from French occasion + -el.^[1] Within Romanian the word can be analysed as ocaziune with the suffix -al.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is recorded in 1848 in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms, in the phrase cauză ocazională, explained as a cause that gives occasion to a greater one to produce an effect.^[3] The DLR's oldest quotation, from a treatise on rabies, has this obsolete sense “that brings something about”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The first sense, “occasioning, causing”, is now obsolete.^[2][6] Scriban still illustrated it in 1939 with the sermons of Tetzel as the occasional cause of Luther's Reformation, beside the newer “accidental”.^[7] The modern senses are “made for a particular occasion”, as of a speech, and “happening by chance, now and then”, which Barcianu and Alexi record in the late 19th century.^[2] It is also used as an adverb, “occasionally”.^[4][1]

Timeline

• 1848 – cauză ocazională in Negulici's dictionary.^[3]
• 1931 – the CADE defines it as “accidental” and marks it as French.^[8]
• 1939 – Scriban gives both “occasioning” and “accidental”, with an adverb “by chance”.^[7]
• 1950 – discursuri ocazionale “speeches for the occasion” in the review Contemporanul.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Made or happening for a particular occasion or event: un poem ocazional.^[4][6]
2. That happens by chance, now and then; occasional, accidental.^[4][6][1]
3. (obsolete) That causes or occasions something.^[6][2]

Adverb

1. occasionally, from time to time; by chance: Ne vedem ocazional la cafenea.^[4][1]

Related words

• ocazie
• ocaziune

Usage notes

It is pronounced with a separate syllable for the i: o-ca-zi-o-nal.^[4][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ocazional
3. ^ a b c 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. ocazional
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. 732
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. ocazional
6. ^ 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, 189
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 889
8. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. ocazional