parcă

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian părea + că, the univerbation of a phrase meaning “it seems that”, with the third-person singular present of the verb and the conjunction.^[2][3][4][1] Ciorănescu also records the spelling ⟨par’că⟩.^[4] Tiktin treats it under the verb, as the short form of the adverbial phrase, and quotes an even shorter ⟨par’⟩ from folk poetry.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2's first record is in Simeon Marcovici's translation of Young's Night Thoughts (1835), where it expresses doubt.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From “it seems that” the word became a hedge that softens what the verb says: it marks doubt, approximation or probability, and in negative sentences means “not really”.^[3][2] In rhetorical questions it means “surely not”, as in Tiktin's example „Parcă nu știu eu …” “as if I didn't know …”.^[5][6] Used as a conjunction, alone or as de parcă, it introduces a comparison with something unreal, “as if”.^[3][2][5]

Timeline

• 1835 – in Marcovici's translation of Young's Night Thoughts, the first record.^[3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. It seems that, one would think that; as if: Parcă te-am mai văzut undeva. “I think I've seen you somewhere before.”^[2][7]
2. (in negative sentences) Not really, not quite.^[2][3]
3. (as an answer) Possibly, it seems so.^[2]
4. (in rhetorical questions) Surely not; did I not …?^[5][6]

Conjunction

1. As if, as though: Vorbea parcă n-ar fi auzit nimic. “He talked as though he had heard nothing.”^[2][3]

Related words

• părea
• că
• părere

Usage notes

De parcă “as if” is the usual conjunction before a clause.^[5][1] The adverb is stressed on the first syllable, /ˈpar.kə/.^[1]

Two other words are spelled the same.^[1][2] Parcă (plural parce), one of the three Fates of Roman mythology, is a learned loan from Latin Parca and French Parque, first listed by Negulici in 1848; it can also personify death.^[3][2][8] Parcă, stressed on the last syllable, is also the third-person singular simple past of parca “to park”.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 775
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 269
4. ^ a b 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. părea
5. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. părea
6. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. parcă
7. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 323
8. ^ Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. parcă