periculos

Forms

periculos m or n (feminine singular periculoasă, masculine plural periculoși, feminine/neuter plural periculoase)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin perīculōsus (“dangerous”), with Italian pericoloso as a second model.^[2][3][4][1] Ciorănescu and Tiktin give only the Italian adjective, which Ciorănescu treats as the model of a derivative of pericol, itself from pericolo.^[5][6] Scriban and the neologism dictionaries give only the Latin word.^[7][8] The Latin adjective is formed from perīculum (“attempt, risk”) with the suffix -ōsus.^[9][1] Wiktionary notes that by surface analysis it is the noun with the suffix -os.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin, MDA2 and DLR date the first record to 1799, in Paul Iorgovici's Observații de limba rumânească, printed at Buda.^[6][3][4] The sense was already “dangerous”: a periodical of 1829 quoted by DLR says that 101 soldiers living in casemates „s-au făcut jărtvă acestei periculoase întâmplări” “fell victim to this dangerous incident”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective spread in the 19th century beside the older primejdios, which the dictionaries use to define it.^[4][8] Negulici's dictionary of 1848 lists it, in the transitional alphabet, with primejdios as its gloss.^[10] Șăineanu's dictionary added the senses “not to be trusted”, of a person, and “harmful”, of a doctrine.^[11] Scriban records the adverbial use, as in s-a îmbolnăvit periculos “he fell dangerously ill”.^[7]

Teenage slang has turned it into praise: “excellent, great”, and of a girl “good-looking”.^[12]

Timeline

• 1799 – first record, in Paul Iorgovici's Observații de limba rumânească.^[3][6]
• 1829 – periculoase întâmplări “a dangerous incident” in a periodical quoted by DLR.^[4]
• 1848 – listed in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. dangerous, hazardous: presenting or able to present a danger to someone or something; primejdios.^[2][3][1]
2. (slang, of young people) Excellent, great; of a girl, good-looking.^[12]

Adverb

1. dangerously.^[1][7]

Related words

• pericol
• primejdios

Usage notes

MDA2 records the variant pericolos, closer to the Italian form.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 803
3. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 346
4. ^ 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. periculos
5. ^ 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. pericol
6. ^ 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. periculos
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 965
8. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. perīculōsus
10. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București
11. ^ Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 475
12. ^ a b Volceanov, George (2007), Dicționar de argou al limbii române, București: Niculescu, p. s.v. periculos