păstra

Forms

păstra (third-person singular present păstrează, past participle păstrat) 1st conjugation^[1]

Etymology

Its source is disputed.^[2][3][1] Ciorănescu takes it borrowed from Modern Greek παστρεύω (pastrévo, “to clean”), from πάστρα (pástra, “cleanliness”), following Meyer and Tiktin, and compares Albanian pastroj (“to clean”).^[2][1] He finds the change of meaning unclear and suggests a confusion with παστώνω (pastóno, “to salt, preserve”).^[2] MDA2 and the DLR derive it instead borrowed from Bulgarian пастря (pastrja).^[3][4] Wiktionary combines the two: from Greek, perhaps through Bulgarian.^[1] Ciorănescu, citing Candrea and Capidan, thinks the Bulgarian verb more likely came from Romanian.^[2] The REW's reconstruction Vulgar Latin *parsitō (“to spare”) is rejected by Ciorănescu and Wiktionary.^[5][2][1]

South of the Danube the verb survives as Aromanian pãstrescu and Aromanian spãstrescu “to clean”, which Papahagi takes from Greek, and Megleno-Romanian păstres “to put away”, which Capidan takes from Bulgarian.^[6][7][8] Babiniotis derives the Greek verb from medieval σπαστρεύω (spastrévo), ultimately from Ancient Greek σπάρτον (spárton).^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is of 1703, with the sense “to keep, store”.^[10] MDA2 and the DLR cite Radu Popescu's chronicle, where valuables are given to people ca să le păstreze “for them to keep”.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The core sense is to keep something safe.^[11][3] From it come keeping in good condition, keeping in one's possession, and preserving food from spoiling.^[11][3] Applied to laws, customs and promises it means to observe them, and more broadly to maintain or make something last.^[11][3] Tiktin quotes folk poetry for a secret that is kept and a mouth “kept for another”.^[10]

Timeline

• 1703 – first record.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To keep in a safe place; to look after and keep in good condition; to keep in one's possession.^[11][3][1]
2. (transitive, also reflexive) To preserve food from spoiling.^[11][3]
3. (transitive) To observe or not break laws, rules or promises.^[11][3]
4. (transitive) To maintain, to make last: a păstra tăcerea “to keep silent”.^[11]

Word family

• păstrător

Related words

• Aromanian pãstrescu

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. păstra
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 309
4. ^ a b Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. păstra
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6255
6. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 832
7. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 965
8. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 217
9. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
10. ^ 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. păstra
11. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 790