serial

Forms

serial m or n (feminine singular serială, masculine plural seriali, feminine/neuter plural seriale)^[1] As a noun: serial n (plural seriale, also serialuri).^[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English serial, the source DEX and Wiktionary give.^[2][1] MDA2, the DLR and NODEX name French sériel beside the English word, and DN adds Italian seriale.^[3][4][5][6] Marcu takes the adjective from the French word and the noun from sérial and the English word.^[7] Within Romanian the word can be analysed as from Romanian serie + -al.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the adjective “forming a series”, in a passage on a development like a geometric progression in the 1938 edition of the works of Petică.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a novel, documentary, radio play or film presented in successive parts, and then a film in episodes with the same main characters, is quoted in the DLR from the cinema press of 1968 and 1969.^[4][3] Dimitrescu's dictionary of recent words quotes it from 1970 for a television serial.^[8] In music the adjective belongs to serialism: muzică serială “serial music”.^[4][6]

Timeline

• 1938 – the adjective “forming a series”, cited from the 1938 edition of Petică's works.^[3][4]
• 1968 – the noun “film in episodes” in the magazine Cinema.^[4]
• 1970 – a novel presented as a television serial.^[8]
• 1972 – serial radiofonic “radio serial” in Scînteia.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A serial: a novel or film presented in successive parts.^[2][1]
2. A series of films with the same main characters; an episode of it: Copiii urmăresc un serial de desene animate.^[3][4]

Adjective

1. Of a series, done in series.^[2][7]
2. (music) Of or based on serialism: muzică serială.^[2][3]

Related words

• serie
• serialism

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1007
3. ^ 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, 863
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. serial
5. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional
6. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România
7. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
8. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE)