rămuros

Forms

rămuros m or n (feminine singular rămuroasă, masculine plural rămuroși, feminine/neuter plural rămuroase)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian ramură + -os.^[2][3] MDA2 and DLR start from the plural ramuri of ram “branch”.^[4][5] DER lists it among the derivatives of this noun, which is rāmus (“branch”).^[6] The REW explains it instead as inherited from Latin rāmulōsus (“full of little branches”), and Scriban and Wiktionary give both explanations.^[6][7][1] The Latin adjective is formed from rāmulus (“little branch”) with -ōsus, and Pliny used it of leaves growing several to a stalk.^[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1788, in Molnar's grammar (Sprachlehre); DLR and MDA2 cite the same page of Molnar.^[3][5][4] Its sense there is the usual one, “having many branches”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective is said above all of trees: Anton Pann wrote of a tree that, “calm and branchy” in the summer, gives its sweet fruit in plenty.^[5] By analogy it describes branching antlers, as in Eminescu's „Cerbi cu coarne rămuroase” “stags with branching antlers”.^[5][9][10] In the 20th century it was also used figuratively, of branching sentences and of a melody.^[5]

MDA2 lists its synonyms: popular rămurat, the old and rare rămos, and regional rătinos and răvănat.^[4]

Timeline

• 1788 – first record, in Molnar's grammar.^[3]
• 19th century – said of trees by Anton Pann and of antlers by Eminescu.^[5][9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a tree: with many branches; branchy, bushy: Un nuc bătrân și rămuros umbrea toată curtea.^{[2][4][11][1]}
2. By analogy, of antlers: branching.^[5][10]
3. (figurative) Branching out, ramified.^[5]

Related words

• ramură
• ram
• stufos

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 916
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. rămuros
4. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 635
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. rămuros
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. ram
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1093
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 531
10. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 667
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. rămuros