predică

Forms

predică f (plural predici)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian predica (“sermon”), according to MDA2, Tiktin, the DN and the MDN.^[2][3][4][5] Ciorănescu takes it through Modern Greek πρέντικα (préntika), itself from the Italian word, and Scriban names the Modern Greek, Russian and German words that come from the Italian one.^[6][7] The DEX, the NODEX and Wiktionary instead derive it from the verb predica “to preach”.^[8][9][1] Tiktin and MDA2 date that verb only from 1822 and 1832.^[10][2]

The Italian noun is a deverbal of predicare (“to preach”),^[1] which continues Latin praedicō (“to proclaim”).^[6] An older Romanian word of the same root, predicație “sermon”, came from praedicātiō through Hungarian prédikáció in the 17th century, according to Ciorănescu; the DLR names the Latin and Hungarian words too.^[6][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 and Tiktin date the first record to 1810, MDA2 to a text from before that year.^[2][3] The older predicație was in use a century earlier: the DLR quotes a text of 1700, „început-au pop(a) cel mare al lor predicație a face” “their chief priest began to give a sermon”.^[11]

Semantic evolution

The church sense comes first: a priest's address that explains a Bible text and draws a moral lesson from it.^[2][8] By extension it came to mean any speech or writing with a moralising content, and further a long, tedious reprimand.^[2][7][12] Scriban notes that the older words for a sermon were cazanie and propovedanie, and later omilie and didahie.^[7]

Timeline

• 1700 – the older predicație “sermon”.^[11]
• 1810 – predică “sermon”, the first record.^[2][3]
• 1822 – the verb predica “to preach”.^[10]
• 1865 – Pisone's dictionary glosses it with cazanie and Latin contio.^[13]
• 1870 – Costinescu defines it as a religious discourse given from the pulpit.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sermon or homily: an address given by a priest in church, explaining a Bible text and giving moral guidance.^[8][2]
2. Any speech or writing with a moralizing content.^[8][2]
3. (colloquial) A long reprimand or lecture.^[2][12]

Related words

• predica
• predicație
• predicator

Usage notes

The plural is predici, rarely predice;^[2] MDA2 also records the regional forms pedrică, prădică, pridică and priedică.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 513
3. ^ 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. predică
4. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. predică
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. predică
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. predica
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 1036
8. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 865
9. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. predică
10. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. predica
11. ^ a b c Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. predicație
12. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 505
13. ^ Pisone, Domițian (1865), Dictionariu românescu, latinescu, germanescu și francescu, lucrat după sistemul Lexiconului de Buda, București: Typografia Ioann Weiss, p. 309
14. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 337