păcăli

Forms

păcăli (third-person singular present păcălește, past participle păcălit), 4th conjugation^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is unknown: DEX, NODEX and MDA2 call it of unknown etymology, and Tiktin and the DLR say the same.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Wiktionary and Wikționar also leave it unexplained.^[1][7] The DLR refers to a note by Pușcariu in the first volume of the journal Dacoromania (1920–1921, p. 237), which discusses the word.^[6]

The noun păcală “joker, trickster” is a back-formation from the verb.^[2][4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Dosoftei's Viața și petrecerea sfinților (Iași, 1682–1686), dated 1683 by Tiktin.^[5][4] There the verb is intransitive and means “to plot, scheme against someone”: „Acela amăgeu păcăli de cădzu la-nchisoare Leon” “that man plotted by deceit until Leo fell into prison”.^[5] MDA2 keeps this sense as obsolete.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The transitive sense “to make a fool of, take in” is the one that lasted.^[5][6] Klein's dictionary already records the word, and Anton Pann's proverbs warn: „Pune-l să stea să-ți vorbească, De vrei să te păcălească” “let him sit and talk to you, if you want him to fool you”.^[6][5] The DLR's quotations from the 19th and 20th centuries show both deceit for gain and tricks played for fun.^[6] The reflexive a se păcăli came to mean “to be taken in, to misjudge to one's own cost”.^[5][2]

From the verb comes păcală, first in Klein's dictionary, which names a joking, mischievous man who makes fun of everyone, and also a trick.^[4][2] The saying s-a găsit Păcală cu Tândală is said of two people who are equally fond of jokes.^[4]

Timeline

• 1683 – Dosoftei's Viața și petrecerea sfinților, intransitive “to plot”.^[5][4]
• 1801 – Klein's dictionary records the verb and the noun păcală.^[6][4]
• 1929 – Șăineanu's dictionary gives “to play a trick on someone” and “to deceive with malice”.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fool or deceive someone with a trick or a lie, for gain or for fun; also used without an object: Copiii au încercat să-l păcălească pe paznic.^[2][4][1]
2. (reflexive) To get one's reckoning wrong, to be mistaken to one's own cost.^[2][4]
3. (obsolete, intransitive) To plot against someone.^[4][5]

Word family

• păcală
• păcăleală

Usage notes

MDA2 records a regional present păcăl beside the usual păcălesc.^[4] The DLRLC gives a regional variant pîcîli, used by Alecsandri.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 785
3. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. păcăli
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 289
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. păcăli
6. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. păcăli
7. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. păcăli
8. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 452
9. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 344