olar

Forms

olar m (plural olari)^[1] Old texts have olariu: „Ca vasele olariului zdrobi-vei pre dânșii” “like the potter's vessels you will shatter them” (Bible of 1688, Psalm 2:9).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is either inherited from Late Latin ollārius (“potter”) or formed from Romanian oală + -ar.^[2][4] Tiktin and Scriban allow both; the CADE and Șăineanu give the Latin word.^[2][4][5][6] Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of oală but takes it as probably from the Latin word, after Pușcariu, Candrea and Densusianu and the REW.^[7][8] Candrea and Densusianu note that the Latin word is recorded as an adjective and that its sound was influenced by the Romanian noun.^[9] DEX, DLR and MDA2 give only the Romanian derivation.^[10][3][11]

Aromanian ular has the same history: Papahagi and Pascu take it from Latin.^[12][13] The REW lists Occitan olier, Catalan oler, Spanish ollero and Portuguese oleiro as cognates.^[8] The base is from Latin olla (“pot”).^[14][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is in a Gospel text of 1551–1553, at Matthew 27:7.^[2] The Psaltirea Scheiană has „ca vasu olarului” “like the potter's vessel” (Psalm 2:9), MDA2's first record.^[3][11] The sense was “potter” in both.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word names the craftsman who makes and sells earthen pots and other earthenware.^[10] Nicolae Costin tells that the market town of Baia was founded by Saxon potters, and a document of 1776 mentions the head of the potters' guild.^[3] Cantemir has the proverb that fortune looks on swineherd and potter with the same blindness.^[3]

Phrases give it figurative values: neam de olar “a quick liar”, a râde râsul olarului “to laugh a forced laugh”, and as an adjective “lazy, fond of the hearth”.^[3][11] As a neuter noun it names, in the regions, a cupboard or forked stake for pots.^[3][15] It is also a common surname, Olaru.^[16][1]

Timeline

• 1551-1553 – in a Gospel text, Matthew 27:7.^[2]
• c. 1573-1578 – „ca vasu olarului” in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[3][11]
• 1660 – in a Slavonic–Romanian lexicon.^[17]
• 1688 – olariului in the Bucharest Bible, Psalm 2:9.^[2]
• 1705 – olariu in Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică.^[3]
• 1776 – starostele de olari “the head of the potters” in a document.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A potter: a craftsman who makes and sells pots and other objects of fired clay.^[10][1]
2. (regional, neuter, plural olare) A cupboard for pots; a forked stake on which pots are hung to dry.^[11][15][18]

Word family

• olărie

Related words

• oală
• ulcea
• Aromanian ular
• Latin olla

Usage notes

Roata olarului is the potter's wheel.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. olar
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. olar
4. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 897
5. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. olar
6. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 442
7. ^ a b 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. oală
8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6060
9. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București, p. s.v. olar
10. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 739
11. ^ 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, 204
12. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1081
13. ^ Pascu, Giorge (1925), Dictionnaire étymologique macédoroumain, 2 vols. (I: Les éléments latins et romans; II: Les éléments grecs, turcs, slaves, albanais, germaniques, magyars, néologismes, créations immédiates, obscurs), Iași: Cultura Națională, p. 1, 134
14. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6059
15. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. olar
16. ^ Constantinescu, N. A. (1963), Dicționar onomastic romînesc, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. s.v. olar
17. ^ Ungureanu, Mădălina; Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Moruz, Alexandru (eds.), eRomLex: The First Romanian Bilingual Dictionaries (17th century), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. s.v. olar
18. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 262