radio

Forms

radio n (plural radiouri)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French radio, and at the same time borrowed from German Radio.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Wiktionary compares English radio as well.^[1] The French word is a shortening of compounds such as radiotélégraphie and radiodiffusion.^[1] German took the word around 1920 from American English, where it is short for radiotelegraphy, whose first element goes back to Latin radius (“ray, rod”).^[6][7]

The combining form radio- is a separate borrowing: DEX takes it from French radio-, the neologism dictionaries from French, Italian and English.^[2][8] DETS traces it from the same Latin word through French, Italian, German and English.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 takes its first record from the DLR's first quotation, in the newspaper Scînteia of 1960 (no. 4847), which speaks of progress „în domeniul radioului” “in the field of radio”.^[4][3] The DLR also quotes earlier dated examples from a periodical it abbreviates CONTEMP., of 1949 and 1954; the 1949 one has the popular form radiu, in aparatul di radiu “the radio set”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word names the whole system of sending sound by electromagnetic waves; it also names the receiving set, the broadcasting of news and music, and the institution that runs it.^[2][4] Post de radio is a broadcasting station and aparat de radio a radio set.^[4][3] Used before another noun it is an invariable adjective, “relating to radio sets, to broadcasts or to electromagnetic radiation”.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1949 – aparatul di radiu “the radio set”, in a periodical quoted by the DLR.^[3]
• 1955 – the combining form radio- in the dictionary of the contemporary literary language.^[4]
• 1960 – radioul in Scînteia, MDA2's first record.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. An installation that transmits sound by electromagnetic waves, including the sending and receiving equipment: post de radio “radio station”.^[2][4]
2. (specifically) A radio set, a receiver: Am dat drumul la radio. “I switched on the radio.”^[2][10]
3. The system and activity of broadcasting news, music and other programmes; a broadcast.^[2][4]
4. The institution that runs and coordinates broadcasting.^[2][11]

Adjective

1. (invariable) Relating to radio sets or to broadcasts: emisiune radio “radio programme”.^[2]
2. (invariable) Relating to electromagnetic radiation.^[2][4]

Related words

• radio-
• rază
• Latin radius

Usage notes

DEX has a second headword radio- (its radio¹), a combining form from French radio- that refers a quantity or device to electromagnetic radiation and forms nouns such as radiofonie and radiotelegrafie.^[2][8] The word is said in three syllables, ra-di-o.^[2] Its plural is radiouri, the articled form radioul.^[4] MDA2 records a popular variant radiu.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 907
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. radio
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 617
5. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. radio
6. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 742
7. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
8. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
9. ^ Andrei, Nicolae (1987), Dicționar etimologic de termeni științifici: elemente de compunere greco-latine, București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică
10. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. radio
11. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 648