scânteie

Forms

scânteie f (plural scântei)^[1] Old and regional variants include schinteie, scântă, scânteaie and schinteană.^[2][3] Dosoftei tells of a bronze bull heated until „arunca scînteaie” “it threw out sparks”.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *scantillia, a form of Latin scintilla (“spark”).^{[3][4][2][5][1]} The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian scînteal'e.^[6][5]

The vowel of the first syllable needs explaining.^[5] Pușcariu explained ⟨scant-⟩ by a mixing with excandēre (“to glow”);^[5][6] Densusianu compared Albanian skendilje.^[5][6] Ciorănescu finds ⟨scant-⟩ for ⟨scint-⟩ easy to admit, citing the Latin pairs scindula/scandula and silvaticus/salvaticus, and doubts Cihac's Latin *scinta.^[5] Tiktin derives the word directly from the classical Latin word, thinks the mixing with the Latin verb unlikely and supposes that dissimilation kept the /k/ before /t/, so that the regional form schinteie may be the older stage.^[7] The Latin word has been connected with a root meaning “to shine”, but its stem ⟨scint-⟩ is unexplained.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the word to 1596.^[7] MDA2's first record is Dosoftei's lives of the saints (1682–1686), with a heated bronze bull throwing out sparks: the sense is a glowing particle that leaps from a fire.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

From the glowing particle the word passed to faint, flickering light and to the gleam in someone's eyes that betrays a strong feeling.^[3][2] Figuratively it is a small fact that sets off an action or a feeling, and a tiny part of something: o scânteie de talent “a spark of talent”.^[3] Physics added the electric spark.^[2] Tiktin records the folk saying a se învăța ca țiganul cu scânteia “to get used to hardship”, and a figurative o scânteie de vreme “a moment”.^[7][3] Romanian derived the verb scânteia “to throw out sparks; to sparkle” from the noun.^[5]

The diminutives scânteiuță and scânteioară are folk names of plants: the scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis), the daisy, and species of Gagea.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1596 – first record cited by Tiktin.^[7]
• 1682-1686 – scânteaie in Dosoftei's lives of the saints.^[2][4]
• 1776 – the form schintei in a Menaion.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A spark: a tiny glowing particle that leaps from a fire, from the striking of hard bodies or from an electric discharge, and goes out at once.^[3][2][1]
2. A faint, flickering light; a glint or gleam, especially in the eyes.^[3][2][1]
3. (figurative) A small event that sets off an action or a feeling: O vorbă a fost scânteia care a pornit cearta.^[3]
4. (figurative) A very small amount of something, a scintilla: o scânteie de talent.^[3][1]

Word family

• scânteia
• scânteiuță
• scânteioară

Related words

• Aromanian scînteal'e
• Latin scintilla

Usage notes

A i se face scântei (pe dinaintea ochilor) is said of someone who takes a hard blow and seems to see sparks.^[3][2] The plural is scântei.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 798
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 987
4. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. scînteie
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. scînteie
6. ^ a b c Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 929
7. ^ a b c d e Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. scânteie
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill