partener

Forms

partener m (plural parteneri)^[1] The feminine is parteneră, plural partenere.^[2][3] A rare variant partner also occurs.^[3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French partenaire.^{[2][4][5][1][6]} MDA2 adds German Partner as a second source, and DLR derives the rare variant partner from the German word.^[3][7]

The French word is from English partner, recorded in French from 1767 and spelled in the English way until the 19th century.^[8][9] The English word is an alteration of parcener (“co-heir, associate”) under the influence of part.^[8][9] The English word came through Anglo-Norman from Old French parçonier (“associate”), a derivative of parçon (“share, booty”), the popular continuation of Latin partitio (“division”).^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record MDA2 and DLR give is in the memoirs of Grigore Lăcusteanu, published in 1935: one evening, at a game of whist, a certain Vulpea was among the parteneri, the card players.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is a fellow player in a game of cards or a sport, and Scriban (1939) still defines it as one allied with others against an opponent at play.^[7][9][3] It extended to a dancing partner, to each member of a couple, group or association and to the actor or performer who plays a scene with another.^[7][10][3] Recent dictionaries add a country with which another keeps commercial or cultural relations.^[11]

Timeline

• 1767 – French borrows the English word, at first spelled partner.^[8]
• 1935 – parteneri “fellow card players” in the edition of Lăcusteanu's memoirs, the first record.^[3][7]
• 1939 – Scriban's dictionary: a fellow player against others.^[9]
• 1955–1957 – the dancing partner and the stage partner in DLRLC.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A partner: each of the participants in a joint activity, a game or a sport, seen in relation to the others.^[2][3][1]
2. Each of the two people who form a couple; a dancing partner.^[2][5]
3. Each of the performers who play a scene, a film or a circus act together.^[2][3]
4. A country that keeps trade or cultural relations with another: parteneri comerciali “trading partners”.^[11]

Related words

• parte
• partizan
• French partenaire

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 778
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, 275
4. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. partener
5. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. partener
6. ^ Graur, Alexandru (1980), Cuvinte înrudite, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică
7. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. partener
8. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 937
10. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 329
11. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. partener