public

Forms

public m or n (feminine singular publică, masculine plural publici, feminine/neuter plural publice)^[1] As a noun: public n (plural publice).^[1] MDA2 records a regional variant poblic, in the phrase a da pe cineva în poblic “to expose someone”.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French public, and MDA2, DLR, MDN and NODEX add a direct borrowed from Latin publicus (“of the people, public”).^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary gives French, itself from Latin, and DER names only French.^[1][6] DN compares Italian pubblico as well, and Tiktin calls it New Latin, perhaps also by way of other languages.^[7][8] The Latin adjective comes from Old Latin poplicus, from populus (“the people”); its /uː/ is usually put down to the influence of pūbēs (“adult population”).^[1][9] Scriban already derived it from the Latin word for “people” and linked it with popor.^[10]

An older feminine noun publică “republic” is from res publica, and Tiktin compares Polish publika; it is a word of the 18th century, now obsolete.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is a document of 1736, with the adjective “public, general”.^[8] The noun “the public” is first in 1782, in a document asking what officials owe „către public” “to the public”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Early 19th-century writers glossed the noun with the native word obște: „publicului (obștei)”.^[3] By 1829 newspapers addressed „cinstitul public” “the honoured public” and their readers, and the sense of an audience at a show or lecture followed.^[3][11] Șincai used notariu public “public notary” and în public “in public”.^[8] The old language also had a feminine noun publică in în publică “in public” and a da în publică “to make known”.^[2]

Negulici's dictionary of neologisms entered the word in 1848, glossing it as “common, concerning everyone”.^[12] The phrases of public law and administration (drept public, datorie publică, forță publică, viață publică) came with the modern state.^[11][10]

Timeline

• 1736 – first record, as an adjective.^[8]
• 1782 – the noun “the public”.^[3][2]
• 1829 – cinstitul public “the honoured public” in a newspaper.^[3]
• 1848 – in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. The public: a large body of people, people in general; especially the audience of a show, lecture and the like: marele public “the general public”, în public “in public”.^[11][2]

Adjective

1. Belonging to or coming from a community; concerning everyone, shared by all: opinie publică “public opinion”.^[11]
2. Taking place before many people: ședință publică “public session”.^[11][10]
3. Of the state; open to everyone: viața publică “public life”, grădină publică “park”, datorie publică “national debt”, învățământ public “state education”.^[11]

Related words

• publica
• publicitate
• publicist
• republică
• popor
• Latin publicus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 588
3. ^ 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. public
4. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. public
5. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. public
6. ^ a b 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. public
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. public
8. ^ 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. public
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1072
11. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 894
12. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. public