permis

Forms

permis n (plural permise)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French permis (“licence, permit”), as DEX, MDA2, the DLR, DILF and the MDN give it.^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} Scriban derived it instead from Latin permissum (“something permitted”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Șăineanu's dictionary of 1929 records the noun in the sense “permission”.^[8] Scriban in 1939 defines it as a pass, a ticket of permission.^[7] MDA2's first literary record is from Camil Petrescu's plays, published in 1946, where people spread everywhere now that they have railway passes.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense is a written authorisation issued by an authority, which allows its holder to practise a trade or enjoy a right;^[4][2] Sadoveanu writes of the special permits needed to buy and import goods.^[4][2] The commonest kinds are the hunting permit, permis de vânătoare, and the driving licence, permis de conducere, which informal speech shortens to permis.^[2][1] A regional sense is “leave” of a soldier, which the standard language calls permisie.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1929 – permis “permission” in Șăineanu's dictionary.^[8]
• 1939 – “pass, permit” in Scriban.^[7]
• 1946 – permise de tren “railway passes” in Camil Petrescu's plays.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A permit or licence: a written authorisation issued by a competent authority for certain activities: permis de vânătoare “hunting permit”.^[2][3]
2. (informal) Short for permis de conducere, a driving licence.^[1]
3. (regional) Leave from military service; permisie.^[3]

Related words

• permisie
• permite
• permisiune

Usage notes

The plural is permise;^[3] permisuri is rare.^[3] The homonymous adjective permis, permisă “allowed” is the participle of permite.^[9][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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. 805
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, 352
4. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. permis
5. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 967
8. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 476
9. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne