păinichiu

Forms

păinichiu m (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably inherited from Latin pāniculus, which Latin dictionaries refer to pānicula (“tuft, panicle”).^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary also allows a derivative of pānicum (“panic grass, millet”) and compares Old French panil.^[1] Candrea and Densusianu explain the diphthong ⟨ăi⟩, where plain ⟨ă⟩ would be expected, by the influence of pâine (“bread”), unless the form is a copyist's error.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is known from one Slavonic–Romanian glossary of the early 17th century, printed in Hasdeu's Cuvente den bătrâni, where it stands in a list of grains: „Păinichiu, grâu, secară, mălai” “millet, wheat, rye, maize”.^[3][2] Candrea and Densusianu point out that it renders a Slavonic word for wheat there, wrongly.^[4] A Slavonic–Romanian lexicon of 1672–1673 also has it, beside Old Church Slavonic пыро (pyro).^[6]

Semantic evolution

The dictionaries give it two senses, “cereal” in general and “a kind of millet”.^[2][3] The dictionary of regional words of the old literary language refers it to păring.^[7]

Timeline

• 1600–1630 – in a list of grains in a Slavonic–Romanian glossary.^[2][3]
• 1672–1673 – in the Slavonic–Romanian lexicon ms. 3473.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (obsolete) a cereal grain.^[2][3][1]
2. (obsolete) a species of millet.^[2][1]

Related words

• pâine

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 294
3. ^ 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. păinichiu
4. ^ a b c Candrea, I.-A.; Densusianu, Ov. (1907–1914), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române: elementele latine (A–Putea), București
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Ungureanu, Mădălina; Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Moruz, Alexandru (eds.), eRomLex: The First Romanian Bilingual Dictionaries (17th century), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro
7. ^ Costinescu, Mariana; Georgescu, Magdalena; Zgraon, Florentina (1987), Dicționarul limbii române literare vechi (1640–1780): termeni regionali, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică