prevești

Forms

prevești (first-person singular present preveștesc, past participle preveștit) 4th conjugation^[1] MDA2 and the DLR enter the word under privești, with the variants prevești, prevesti, privisti, priviști and, in Banat, privesti.^[2][3]

Etymology

Ciorănescu, after Candrea, explains it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *perviescō, a derivative of viēscō (“to shrivel, wither”).^[1] The REW, after Giuglea, sets up *pervescīō “to wither” for the Transylvanian reflexive.^[4] Wiktionary gives both forms.^[5] The Latin verb is formed on vieō with the inchoative suffix -scō.^[6][5]

The DLR and MDA2, whose senses are about a liquid covering something and about hemming, derive the word from *pervestiō instead.^[2][3] Tiktin calls it of unknown origin, and reports that the CADE derived it in the same way as Ciorănescu.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1834, in Drăghici, in the form privești: „Mustul să privistească piste morcovi ca un lățișor de mână” “the must should stand a hand's breadth above the carrots”.^[7][2] Conachi uses it of love, which takes in all dry land „și mările priveștește” “and rises over the seas”.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

The DLR starts from a liquid that covers something or runs over the edge of a vessel, and, from there, in Moldavia, “to exceed, to be more than enough”.^[2] The second group of senses comes from sewing: to hem by folding or joining the cloth, to sew one piece over another to patch or join it, and in Transylvania to tack.^[2][3] Builders use it for laying shingles or boards partly over one another, and for joining beams by overlapping their ends; in Banat the form privesti means “to steal about unseen”.^[3][2]

Ciorănescu records the senses “to exceed” in Transylvania, “to wither” in Bukovina and “to hem” in Moldavia.^[1] Stati lists “to dry up, wither, turn yellow” as a Moldovan regionalism.^[8] Ciorănescu gives the derivative preveșteală for the skin on boiled milk and a film over the eyes, in Transylvania.^[1]

Timeline

• 1834 – first record, privești in Drăghici.^[7]
• 1958–1966 – Ciorănescu records the senses “to exceed”, “to wither” and “to hem”.^[1]

Meanings

Verb

1. (regional, of a liquid) To cover, stand above something; to overflow the edges of a vessel.^[2][3]
2. (regional, Moldavia, Transylvania) To exceed, surpass.^[1][2][5]
3. (regional) To hem by folding or joining the cloth; to sew one piece over another to patch or join it.^[1][2][3]
4. (popular) To lay shingles or boards partly over one another.^[3][2]
5. (regional, Bukovina, Moldova) To wither, dry up, turn yellow.^[1][8][5]

Word family

• preveșteală

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. prevești
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. privești
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 552
4. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
5. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ 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. privești
8. ^ a b Stati, Vasile (2003), Dicționar moldovenesc-românesc, Chișinău, p. 243