sărune

Forms

sărune f (plural săruni)^[1]

Etymology

Ciorănescu, after Candrea, and Wiktionary take it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *salōnem, a derivative of sāl (“salt”).^[2][1] Ciorănescu writes the Latin form *salōnae.^[2] Tiktin connects it with the Latin word, and the REW lists it among the derivatives of the Latin word, with the Hațeg variant sănune.^[3][4]

MDA2 instead derives it within Romanian from sare “salt”, and Ștef's Maramureș dictionary forms it from Romanian sare + -une.^[5][6] Scriban left the choice open between the Romanian noun and a Latin *salo, -onis.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is from Candrea's study of the speech of Țara Oașului, published in 1907.^[3] MDA2 dates the word from Tache Papahagi's book on Maramureș of 1925.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to sheep farming in the north and west: ground salt mixed with bran given to sheep and cattle, and the place, trough or stone slab where the salt is laid out for them.^[5][8] In Maramureș it also means a lump of salt and a salt cellar.^[6] A spring of salty or mineral water is called so too, and La sărune is the name of such a spring.^[5][9]

Its variants are many: sănune, sănună, sănoane, and in Bukovina and Moldavia a neuter sănun for the salt trough.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1907 – Candrea's record from Țara Oașului, the first.^[3]
• 1925 – Tache Papahagi's study of the speech and folklore of Maramureș.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional) Ground salt mixed with bran, given to sheep and cattle.^[5][1]
2. (regional) A place, often with a trough or stone slabs, where salt is put out for sheep, cattle or wild animals.^[5][10]
3. (regional) A spring of salty or mineral water.^[5][9]
4. (regional) A lump of salt; a salt cellar.^[6]

Related words

• sare
• săra

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. sare
3. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. sărúne
4. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 7521
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 779
6. ^ a b c Ștef, Dorin (2011), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din Maramureș, Baia Mare: Ethnologica, p. s.v. sărune
7. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1160
8. ^ Bulgăr, Gheorghe; Constantinescu-Dobridor, Gheorghe (2002), Dicționar de arhaisme și regionalisme, 2 vols., București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. sărune
9. ^ a b Ștef, Dorin (2021), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din județul Maramureș, 3rd ed., Baia Mare, p. s.v. sărúne
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 4, 33