scârbos

Forms

scârbos m or n (feminine singular scârboasă, masculine plural scârboși, feminine/neuter plural scârboase)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian scârbă + -os, from the noun for “disgust” with the adjective suffix.^[2][3][4][1] The noun is from Old Church Slavonic скръбь (skrŭbĭ, “grief, sorrow”), from Proto-Slavic *skъrbь;^[1][5] it meant “sorrow, affliction” in the old language, and “disgust” later.^[6][5] Tiktin records an old variant scârbicios, which he derives from the verb scârbi.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the word to about 1710, in Antim Ivireanul.^[4] MDA2's first record is later, in Dinicu Golescu's travel notes (1826), with the sense “contemptible, vile”, an insult for a person.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Tiktin quotes Iordache Golescu's proverb of three people repulsive to see: “the proud poor man, the stingy rich man and the debauched old man”.^[4] Both senses, physical disgust and moral contempt, run through the 19th century: Odobescu writes of the carrion-eaters' priveliște scârboasă “disgusting sight”, Negruzzi of a mască scârboasă “vile mask”.^[7] Antonescu's dictionary of 1875 renders it with French dégoûtant.^[8]

Scriban adds a sense for the person who feels disgust, “squeamish, easily nauseated”, which DEX keeps as colloquial,^[9][3] and Ciorănescu notes that in Muntenia it also means “unbearable, irritable”.^[5] The phrase a fi scârbos la gură describes someone who uses foul language.^[3][2]

Timeline

• c. 1710 – the first record, in Antim Ivireanul.^[4]
• 1826 – an insult for a person in Dinicu Golescu's travel notes.^[2]
• 1875 – “disgusting” in Antonescu's Romanian–French dictionary.^[8]
• 1939 – “squeamish” in Scriban's dictionary.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. disgusting, repulsive: causing nausea or revulsion.^[3][1]
2. Contemptible, vile, despicable;^[3][2] a fi scârbos la gură “to use foul language”.^[3][2]
3. (colloquial) squeamish, easily made to feel sick.^[3][9]
4. (colloquial, of people) Hard to please; unpleasant, insufferable.^[3]

Related words

• scârbă
• scârbi

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 800
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. scârbos
5. ^ a b c 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. scârbă
6. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 799
7. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 4, 53
8. ^ a b Antonescu, G. M. (1875), Dictionariu romanu-francesu, Bucuresci: Typografia Curții (Lucrători Associați), p. 279
9. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1170