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păr

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Etymology and origin of the Romanian word păr

păr1 pear tree

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1534 Slavonic-language documents (Tiktin's DERS)
Inherited from
Latin pirus
Ultimate origin
Latin pirus
Etymology tree of păr1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pirum
Latin pirus
Aromanian per
Romanian păr

Forms

păr m (plural peri)[1]

Etymology

The word for the pear tree is inherited from Latin pirus (“pear tree”).[2][1][3][4][5] It survives in all four branches: Aromanian per, Megleno-Romanian per and Istro-Romanian per.[6][7][8] Besides Romanian, the Latin tree name lives on in Italian pero and Logudorese piru; the other Romance languages name the tree with derivatives such as French poirier and Spanish peral.[9][5]

The name of the fruit, pară, is not formed on it: Ciorănescu takes it, probably, from Latin pirum (“pear”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1534, from the Romanian words in Slavonic-language documents.[10] MDA2's first record is in Neculce's chronicle of Moldavia, where the Turks fall “like ripe pears from a pear tree when people shake it”.[4][11]

Semantic evolution

Besides the tree, the word names its hard wood, used in turning and carving.[4][12] A regional compound măr-păr names a kind of apple tree with small fruit.[4] A proverb warns against the much-praised pear tree: “don't go to it with a big sack”.[13]

Timeline

  • 1534 – the first record, in Slavonic-language documents.[10]
  • c. 1743 – păr in Neculce's chronicle of Moldavia.[4][11]
  • 1763 – „lângă tulpina unui păr mare” “by the trunk of a large pear tree” in a document published in the Uricariul.[11]

Meanings

Noun

  1. pear tree: a fruit tree of the rose family with a pyramidal crown, oval leaves and large white or pink flowers, grown for its edible fruit (Pirus sativa).[3][1]
  2. The wood of this tree, used in turning and carving.[4]

păr2 hair

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1500–1520 Psaltirea Hurmuzaki
Inherited from
Latin pilus
Ultimate origin
Latin pilus
Etymology tree of păr2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pīlum
Latin pīlus
Aromanian per
French poil
Italian pelo
Romanian păr
Spanish pelo
From the same root · păr2
Latin pīla ← pīlus
Latin pilōsus ← pīlus
Latin prīmipīlus ← pīlus
Italian pelare ← pelo

Forms

păr m (plural peri)[1]

Etymology

The word for hair is inherited from Latin pilus (“a hair”).[2][1][3][14][5] The Latin word comes from Proto-Indo-European *pil-.[1] It survives in all four branches: Aromanian per, Megleno-Romanian per and Istro-Romanian per.[2][6][7][15] Its Romance cognates include Italian pelo, French poil, Catalan pel and Spanish pelo.[2][16]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of the early 16th century: „mulțiră-se mai mulți de numărul părului capului mieu” “they are more than the hairs of my head”.[14][11] The Codicele Voronețean, of the same century, has „nece unuia de noi părul din cap nu-i va cădea” “not a hair shall fall from the head of any of us” (Acts 27:34).[11][10]

Semantic evolution

Latin pilus meant the hair of the body; in Romanian, as in Sardinian, it took over the hair of the head too, and Latin capillus (“hair of the head”) disappeared.[5][16] The word is a collective in Romanian, and a single hair is un fir de păr.[5][10]

It also names down on plants and fruit, the nap of cloth, and in Transylvania wool.[2] In Moldavia it is a whitlow, and in parts of Wallachia and Oltenia fine wool or hemp fibre.[2][17][18] Old texts and folk speech also use a plural păruri.[14][10]

Timeline

  • early 16th century – părul in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki, the first record.[14][11]
  • 16th century – părul in the Codicele Voronețean.[11][10]
  • 1688 – perii capului mieu “the hairs of my head” in the Bucharest Bible (Psalm 39:17).[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. hair: the thin horny threads that grow from the skin of humans and many animals; especially those covering the human head, and all of them together.[3][1]
  2. Down on plants or fruit; the nap of cloth.[2]
  3. (regional) Wool; fine wool.[2][17]
  4. (regional, Moldavia) A whitlow.[2]

Word family

  • păros
  • părui
  • păruială
  • împăroșa
  • răspăr

Usage notes

În doi peri means “grizzled”, then “neither one thing nor the other, ambiguous”, and regionally “tipsy”;[3] tras de păr “far-fetched” is said of a forced conclusion.[3] Lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul ba “the wolf changes his coat but not his nature” is a proverb.[14] A third păr, a Banat name for asparagus, is of unknown origin; the DLR compares Latin porrum.[11][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. păr
  3. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 788
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 303
  5. ^ a b c d e Pușcariu, Sextil (1905), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der rumänischen Sprache I: Lateinisches Element, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 110
  6. ^ a b Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 837
  7. ^ a b Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 219
  8. ^ Kovačec, August (1998), Istrorumunjsko-hrvatski rječnik (s gramatikom i tekstovima), Pula
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6525
  10. ^ 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. păr
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. păr
  12. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 461
  13. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 950
  14. ^ 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, 302
  15. ^ Popovici, Iosif (1909), Dialectele romîne din Istria II: texte și glosar, Halle a. S., p. 135
  16. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6508
  17. ^ a b Marin, Maria; Mărgărit, Iulia, Glosar dialectal. Muntenia, București: Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti”, p. 306
  18. ^ Cazacu, Boris (coord.) et al. (1967), Glosar dialectal. Oltenia, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. 78

Related etymologies

  • bun · also from Latin
  • unde · also from Latin
  • veni · also from Latin
  • noi · also from Latin
  • bine · also from Latin
  • un · also from Latin
  • și · also from Latin
  • sta · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Păr.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/p%C4%83r. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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