of

Etymology

It is an expressive, onomatopoeic formation, as Ciorănescu, Tiktin and DEX describe it; the DLR calls it a formation on a reflex sound.^[2][3][4][5] Ciorănescu compares Romanian o and uh, Aromanian oh, Turkish of and Serbo-Croatian oh.^[2][6] Bulgarian ох (oh) is likewise onomatopoeic.^[7]

For the derived verb ofta “to sigh”, Cipariu proposed Latin optō (“to wish”) and Cihac a Slavonic охъ (ochŭ);^[1] Ciorănescu finds a Romanian derivation unproblematic.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is a manuscript of about 1600 printed in Gaster's chrestomathy.^[3] MDA2 and the DLR quote the New Testament of 1648, with the variant oh: „Zicând oh!” “saying oh!”.^[8][5]

Semantic evolution

The interjection expresses pain, grief, pity, annoyance or regret, and also disgust, admiration, a wish or surprise.^[4][8] Neculce laments „Oh! oh! oh! săracă țară a Moldovei” “oh, poor land of Moldavia”.^[5] Used as a noun, with the plural ofuri, it means a sigh and then the sorrow behind it, or an unfulfilled wish.^[4][3] In slang a da pe of means “to give for nothing”.^[8][5] The verb ofta, with oftat and oftătură, was formed on it.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1600 – of! in a manuscript printed by Gaster, the first record.^[3]
• 1648 – oh! in the New Testament of Bălgrad.^[8][5]

Meanings

Interjection

1. Expresses pain, bitterness, regret, despair or vexation: alas, ugh.^[4][1]
2. Expresses disgust.^[4]
3. Expresses admiration or enthusiasm, a wish or a plea, or surprise.^[4][8]

Noun

1. A sigh; by extension pain, sorrow, grief; an unfulfilled wish.^[4][3]

Word family

• ofta
• oftat
• oftătură

Usage notes

The variant oh is old and literary.^[8][4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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. of
3. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. of
4. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 736
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. of
6. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne
7. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite
8. ^ 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, 198