singuratic

Forms

singuratic m or n (feminine singular singuratică, masculine plural singuratici, feminine/neuter plural singuratice)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian singur + -atic.^[2][1][3][4] singur continues Latin singulus.^[5][2] The western form singuratec has the suffix variant -atec, and an older singurătec is also recorded.^[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the word to 1683, in Dosoftei.^[4] He quotes a chronicle line where a ruler had left his wife, „alegându-și viață singuratică” “choosing a solitary life”.^[4] MDA2's first record is later, Budai-Deleanu's lexicon of 1818.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word first described people living apart from others, then their way of life and acts done alone, and places or things set far from settlements.^[2][7] Eminescu used it of a castle mirrored in lakes, „Stă castelul singuratic” “the solitary castle stands”.^[4] In rare use it can also mean “single, unique”.^[7] Cantemir already wrote singuratec, the form that Scriban later describes as western.^[4][6]

Timeline

• 1683 – singuratic in Dosoftei, the first record.^[4]
• 1818 – in Budai-Deleanu's Romanian–German lexicon.^[2][3]
• 1939 – Scriban records singuratic as eastern and singuratec as western.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of people: living far from others, solitary, withdrawn; also of their manner of life.^[7][1]
2. Of acts: done alone, unknown to anyone; secret.^[7]
3. (rare) single, unique; isolated.^[7]
4. Of places and things: isolated, far from other settlements; by extension quiet.^[7][8]

Related words

• singur
• singurătate

References

1. ^ a b c d 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, 898
3. ^ a b Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. singuratic
4. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. singuratic
5. ^ 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. singur
6. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 1205
7. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1022
8. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. singuratic