răspuns

Forms

răspuns n (plural răspunsuri)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin respōnsum (“answer, reply”), a noun made from the past participle of respondeō (“to answer”).^{[2][3][4][5][1][6]} Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of răspunde but also takes it from the Latin noun.^[7] Gabinschi allows either direct inheritance of the Latin noun or a Romanian action noun formed on the participle of the verb.^[8] The verb itself continues the Latin verb.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 dates the first record to the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583).^[5] Tiktin also cites it from the 16th century, among others in Coresi's Gospels: „E Isus răspuns nu dede lui” “but Jesus gave him no answer” (John 19:9).^[4]

Semantic evolution

Beside “answer”, the old language used the word for an exchange of letters: Miron Costin writes that a prince was in constant correspondence with the German emperor, „avea ... cu împăratul nemțesc răspunsuri”.^[4] Phrases with a da răspuns meant “to give an account” in the old texts, and Costin also uses it for returning fire.^[4] Older senses that have fallen out of use include “judgment, decision”, “an order from an authority” and “responsibility”.^[4][5] The sense “news, message” lives on: a lăsat răspuns că “he left word that”.^[4][3]

The modern language added the answer given before an examiner, a retort and the solution of a problem.^[3][9] In Moldovan regional speech the word names the feast at which the girl's parents give their consent to the marriage.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1563–1583 – first record, in the Codicele Voronețean.^[5]
• 1649 – răspuns in Mardarie's Slavonic–Romanian lexicon, glossing a Slavonic word for answer.^[11]
• 1688 – răspunsul in the Bucharest Bible.^[12]
• 1801 – Klein's dictionary glosses it with Latin responsum.^[13]
• 1825 – the Lexicon de la Buda gives the spelling Rẻspunsu “answer”.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. An answer or reply: what is said, written or sent to someone who has asked something or has addressed one.^[3][5]
2. (popular) In a da or a face răspuns: to answer.^[3]
3. The answer a pupil or candidate gives before an examiner.^[3][9]
4. A retort, a riposte.^[3]
5. The solution of a problem.^[3][9]
6. News, information, a message.^[3][4]
7. (obsolete) Correspondence; an order from an authority; responsibility.^[5][4]
8. (regional, Moldova) The feast at which the parents consent to a marriage.^[10]

Related words

• Latin respōnsum

Usage notes

The plural is răspunsuri.^[3] Older texts write respuns.^[5][15] Two rare regional words have the same form: an adverb meaning “clearly, distinctly”, from the verb răspunde, and an adjective meaning “holed” said of clothes and shoes in north-western Muntenia, from the verb răspunge.^[2][5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. răspuns
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 918
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. răspuns
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 644
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ 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. răspunde
8. ^ Gabinschi, Marcu (2001), Dicționar de dublete etimologice ale limbii române, 2nd ed., Chișinău: Litera, p. 150
9. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. răspuns
10. ^ a b Stati, Vasile (2003), Dicționar moldovenesc-românesc, Chișinău, p. s.v. răspuns
11. ^ Ungureanu, Mădălina; Gînsac, Ana-Maria; Moruz, Alexandru (eds.), eRomLex: The First Romanian Bilingual Dictionaries (17th century), Iași: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, https://scriptadacoromanica.ro, p. s.v. răspuns
12. ^ Biblia, adecă Dumnezeiasca Scriptură a ceii vechi și a ceii noao leage, București, 1688 (ed. 1988, tricentennial edition), p. Numerii 30:11
13. ^ Gáldi, László (ed.) (1944), Samuel Klein: Dictionarium valachico-latinum. Primul dicționar al limbii române, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Pázmány Péter Tudományegyetemi Román Intézet (Klein's dictionary of 1801, with Gáldi's etymological study), p. 431
14. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 586
15. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1098