păliur

Forms

păliur m (plural păliuri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin Paliurus, the scientific name of the plant, as DEX, MDA2 and the DLR explain it.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary instead takes it as inherited from Latin paliūrus (“Christ's thorn”).^[1] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek παλίουρος (palíouros).^[5][1]

The REW, citing Papahagi with a question mark, lists Aromanian palur under the Latin word.^[6] Wiktionary has Aromanian pãljur, from Latin.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Brandza's Flora Dobrogei of 1898.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word names a single shrub, which grows wild in Dobruja on stony ground and is planted in hedges.^[7] Its regional names include dracă, spinul-asinului and spinul-lui-Hristos.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1898 – in Brandza's flora of Dobruja, the first record.^[3]
• 1929 – Panțu's dictionary of plant names lists it.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Christ's thorn (Paliurus spina-christi): a thorny Mediterranean shrub with oval glossy leaves, small yellowish-green flowers and a fruit shaped like a hat, whose heavy, hard, elastic wood is used for tool handles.^[2][3][1]

Related words

• Latin paliūrus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 787
3. ^ 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, 297
4. ^ a b c Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. păliur
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 351
8. ^ Panțu, Zach. C. (1929), Plantele cunoscute de poporul român. Vocabular botanic cuprinzând numirile române, franceze, germane și științifice, 2nd ed., București: Editura Casei Școalelor, p. 209