pereche

Forms

pereche f (plural perechi)^[1] Old texts and some regions have păreche: „O păreche de măgari înșelați” “a pair of saddled donkeys” (Bucharest Bible, 1688).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *paricula (“pair”), the feminine of pariculus (“alike”) used as a noun, a diminutive of Latin pār (“equal”).^{[5][6][4][3][1]} Ciorănescu cites Diez, Pușcariu's EWRS (no. 1266), Candrea–Densusianu and the REW for this etymology.^[5] The REW connects the Romanian noun with the sense “spouse, mate” that the Latin adjective had as a noun.^[6]

The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian pãreaclji and Megleno-Romanian părecl'ă.^[5][7][8] The Romance cognates include the adjectives Italian parecchio, French pareil, Occitan parelh, Spanish parejo and Portuguese parelho, and the nouns pareja and Catalan parella.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1588, in a document.^[2] MDA2 cites the New Testament of 1648, where it means a pair of animals: „o păreache de turturele” “a pair of turtle-doves”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The word first named two beings of the same kind, often a male and a female, and especially a pair of draught animals: the preface of the Bucharest Bible speaks of „cinci părechi de boi” “five yoke of oxen”.^[3][2] It then applied to two things used together, o pereche de mănuși “a pair of gloves”, and to one object made of two matching parts, as in o pereche de foarfece “a pair of scissors”.^[2][9] Neculce's „doă perechi de curți” meant simply “two mansions”.^[2]

Each member of a pair is also a pereche: a mate, a partner, a match;^[9] fără pereche means “unequalled”.^[9][5] As an adjective it meant “even”, and nepereche “odd” is used of numbers.^[5][2] The derivative împerechea meant in old texts also “to set against each other”, with împerechetură “discord”.^[5] In slang the word is a double in dice.^[10]

Timeline

• 1588 – the first record, in a document.^[2]
• 1648 – păreache “pair” in the New Testament.^[4][3]
• 1688 – părechi de boi “yoke of oxen” in the Bucharest Bible.^[3]
• 1773 – o părechi de cai albi “a pair of white horses”.^[3]
• 1805 – păreichi de boi “yoke of oxen”.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A pair of beings of the same kind; a couple, especially of dancers;^[9][4][1] (adverbially, in the plural) two by two.^[9][4][1]
2. Two things of the same kind used together, or one object made of two matching parts: o pereche de pantofi noi “a pair of glasses”.^[9][4]
3. Either of the two members of a pair, considered in relation to the other; a match, an equal;^[9] fără pereche “unequalled”.^[9]
4. (in o pereche de palme) Two slaps given one after the other.^[9][4]
5. (slang) A double, in dice games.^[10]

Word family

• nepereche
• împerechea

Related words

• Aromanian pãreaclji
• Latin pār

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. pereche
3. ^ 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. pereche
4. ^ 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, 342
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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. pereche
6. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 829
8. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 804
9. ^ 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. 801
10. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. pereche