pătrat

Forms

pătrat m or n (feminine singular pătrată, masculine plural pătrați, feminine/neuter plural pătrate)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian patru + -at, the numeral meaning “four”, modelled on Latin quadrātus (“squared, square”), Italian quadrato and German Quadrat.^[2][3][1] The DLR gives the derivation from the numeral with a question mark, and Tiktin and Scriban name only the Latin model.^[4][5][6] Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of the numeral, which is quattuor.^[7] The Latin adjective is the participle of quadrō (“to make square”).^[1][8] Wiktionary calls the learned cvadrat its doublet.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to about 1790.^[5] MDA2 cites Gheorghe Șincai's manuscript translation Învățătura firească spre surparea superstiției norodului (1804–1808).^[3] The early texts also have the Latin-shaped forms cfadrat, cvadrat and cvatrat: Amfilohie's geometry has „în mijlocul cfadratului” “in the middle of the square”.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is geometric, the square figure; the old pătrat lunguieț “long square” meant a rectangle.^[3][4] As an adjective it describes square, and by extension cubic, objects: Costache Negruzzi's square tower, Odobescu's tower with stained-glass windows.^[4] In arithmetic it names the second power of a number, with a ridica la pătrat “to square” and rădăcină pătrată “square root”.^[6][2] Military language used it for an infantry square, and the metru pătrat “square metre” is a unit of area.^[6][2] The colloquial cap pătrat “square head” means a narrow-minded person.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 1790 – the first record Tiktin cites.^[5]
• 1804–1808 – pătrat in Șincai's manuscript translation, the first record in MDA2.^[3]
• 1939 – Scriban records the eastern form patrat and the military “square”.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A square: a quadrilateral with equal sides and right angles;^[2][3] (rare) pătrat de tipografie, a printer's quad.^[2][3]
2. A row or group of objects or people arranged in a square; a formation in square.^[2]
3. (mathematics) The product of a number multiplied by itself, the second power;^[2][9] pătrat perfect “perfect square”;^[2][9] a ridica la pătrat “to square”.^[2][9]

Adjective

1. Square-shaped, and by extension cube-shaped;^[2][3] metru pătrat “square metre”;^[2][3] (colloquial) cap pătrat “narrow-minded person”.^[2][3]
2. (mathematics) In rădăcină pătrată “square root”.^[2]

Word family

• pătrățel

Related words

• patru
• cvadrat
• Latin quadrātus

Usage notes

The neuter noun has the plural pătrate; the adjective has pătrată, pătrați, pătrate.^[2] Scriban notes that eastern speech says patrat.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 791
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 313
4. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. pătrat
5. ^ 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. pătrat
6. ^ a b c d e Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 954
7. ^ 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. patru
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. quadrātus
9. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 363