poimâine

Etymology

It is a compound, from Latin post (“after”) + māne (“in the morning; tomorrow”).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Ciorănescu lists it among the compounds of mâine, with poi from post, as in apoi and păi.^[6] It is found south of the Danube too: Aromanian pãimãni and Megleno-Romanian poimoni.^[6][7][8] A parallel compound is Italian posdomani, and Wiktionary compares Romansh puschmaun.^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Varlaam's Cazania of 1643.^[2][3] The sense was the one it has today, “the day after tomorrow”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Beside the exact day, the word paired with mâine came to mean “soon” or “some day”: ca mâine, poimâine “before long”.^[1][2] MDA2 also records it as a noun, “the future”.^[2] Regionally, poimâinea ailaltă is the day after that, otherwise răspoimâine.^[1]

Timeline

• 1643 – first record, in Varlaam's Cazania.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. The day after tomorrow: on the day that follows tomorrow;^[1][2][5] (regional) poimâinea ailaltă “three days from now”.^[1][2][5]
2. (paired with mâine) soon; some day: ca mâine, poimâine “before long”.^[1][9]

Noun

1. The future.^[2]

Related words

• mâine
• apoi
• răspoimâine
• Aromanian pãimãni

Usage notes

Old and regional variants include poimâne and poimâni.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 841
2. ^ 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, 446
3. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. póimâine
4. ^ Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. poimâine
5. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
6. ^ a b c 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. mîine
7. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 781
8. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 194
9. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. poimâine