prevedea

Forms

a prevedea (third-person singular present prevede, past participle prevăzut, third-person subjunctive prevadă), second conjugation^[1] MDA2 lists the old variants prăvedea, prăvidea and privedea, and a regional first person prevăz beside prevăd.^[2] Tiktin records an older form provedea, conjugated like vedea.^[3]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian pre- + vedea, “to see before”.^[4][2][3] DEX holds that the verb was modelled on French prévoir, and MDA2 says it was partly calqued on the French verb.^[4][2] Tiktin limits the French model to the legal sense “to stipulate”, and compares the sense “to equip” with German versehen (“to provide”).^[3] The DLR compares the same two senses with the French verb and with pourvoir.^[5] The neologism dictionaries name the French verb and Italian prevedere, both going back to Latin praevideō (“to foresee”).^[6][7]

Wiktionary takes the main verb straight from that Latin verb, and the old reflexive “to show through, be glimpsed” from pervideō (“to see through”).^[1] DEX and MDA2 treat all these senses as one verb formed in Romanian.^[4][2] The base vedea is videō.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki of the early 16th century, in Psalm 138, where the psalmist says that God has foreseen all his ways.^[2][3][5] The Psaltirea Scheiană has the past forms prevăzuși and provăzuș “you foresaw”.^[9] Coresi's book of homilies on the Gospels has it too: one foresaw mankind's salvation and rejoiced at it.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The first sense, “to see beforehand, foresee”, has run through the whole history of the word;^[3][5] Nicolae Costin writes that Adam, foreseeing his end, called his wife.^[3][5] Two later senses follow French: “to stipulate”, said of a law or rule, and “to equip, provide with”, used mostly in the passive prevăzut cu.^[3][4][1]

The old and regional reflexive a se prevedea means “to show through, be seen through”, then “to be glimpsed” and “to be mirrored”.^[3][4] Alecsandri and Bolintineanu used it in this sense in their poetry.^[3][10] Wiktionary marks the sense as literary and archaic.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 1500–1520 – first record, in Psalm 138 of the Psaltirea Hurmuzaki.^[2][3]
• 16th century – prevăzuși “you foresaw” in the Psaltirea Scheiană.^[9]
• 1688 – prevezi in the Book of Job (10:4) of the Bucharest Bible.^[11]
• 19th century – a se prevedea “to show through” in Alecsandri's poems.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To foresee or anticipate: to work out from present facts how events will turn out;^[4][2] Nimeni n-a putut prevedea criza.^[4][2]
2. Of laws, rules and instructions: to stipulate, lay down, specify;^[4][1] Legea prevede o amendă.^[4][1]
3. To equip or furnish someone or something with what is needed; mostly in the passive, prevăzut cu.^[4][1]
4. (reflexive, dated and regional) To show through something, be glimpsed; also to be mirrored.^[4][3]

Word family

• prevăzător
• prevăzut
• prevedere

Related words

• previziune
• vedea

Usage notes

The reflexive sense “to show through, be glimpsed” is literary and old;^[4][2][1] Wiktionary gives it a separate etymology, from Latin pervideō, but DEX and MDA2 list it as a sense of this verb.^[4][2][1] Tiktin's example Legea nu prevede acest caz “the law does not provide for this case” shows the legal use.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 530
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. prevedea
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 872
5. ^ 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. prevedea
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. prevedea
7. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. prevedea
8. ^ 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. vedea
9. ^ a b Candrea, I.-A. (1916), Psaltirea Scheiană comparată cu celelalte psaltiri din sec. XVI și XVII traduse din slavonește, vol. II: Glosarele, București: Socec, p. 361
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 560
11. ^ Biblia, adecă Dumnezeiasca Scriptură a ceii vechi și a ceii noao leage, București, 1688 (ed. 1988, tricentennial edition), p. Job 10:4