păcuină

Forms

păcuină f (plural păcuini)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin pecuīna, the feminine of the adjective pecuīnus (“of sheep or cattle”), which is formed on pecū (“cattle”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Candrea proposed this etymon.^[6] Pușcariu, Candrea–Densusianu and the REW derived it from Vulgar Latin *pecorina, built on pecus (“livestock”), as făină is from farīna.^[6][7] Tiktin gives both views, and Wiktionary finds the second less likely.^[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1846, in the sense “milk ewe”.^[8] MDA2's first record is Cihac's dictionary of 1870.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to the north: Banat, Transylvania, Maramureș and Bukovina.^[6][2] Mostly in the plural it means small livestock, and especially the milking ewes of a sheepfold, the same animals as mânzare.^[2][4] Bârlea wrote that a sheepfold numbers up to 500 or 600 milk ewes, called pecuini.^[2] Coșbuc used it in verse for frightened sheep whose bells ring.^[9] In parts of Transylvania it came to mean poultry, and a farm.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1846 – păcuină “milk ewe”, the first record.^[8]
• 1870 – in Cihac's etymological dictionary.^[4]
• 1905 – Pușcariu derives it from *pecorina.^[7]
• 1925 – păcuină “milk ewe” in Papahagi's Maramureș glossary.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional) A sheep, especially a milking ewe.^[3][2][1]
2. (regional, in the plural) Small livestock.^[4][2]
3. (regional, Transylvania, in the plural) Poultry; fowl.^[4][2]
4. (regional, Transylvania) A farm.^[4][2]

Related words

• Latin pecus

Usage notes

The plural is păcuini or păcuine; the variant pecuină is used in Maramureș.^[2][11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. păcuină
3. ^ a b DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 785
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 290
5. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 946
6. ^ a b c 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. păcuină
7. ^ a b Pușcariu, Sextil (1905), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der rumänischen Sprache I: Lateinisches Element, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 108
8. ^ 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. păcuínă
9. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 345
10. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1925), Graiul și folklorul Maramureșului, București: Cultura Națională, p. 228
11. ^ Ștef, Dorin (2021), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din județul Maramureș, 3rd ed., Baia Mare, p. s.v. pecuină