solar

Forms

solar m or n (feminine singular solară, masculine plural solari, feminine/neuter plural solare)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French solaire and directly borrowed from Latin sōlāris (“of the sun”), the two sources DEX, MDA2 and the neologism dictionaries name.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Tiktin gives the Latin word and Italian solare.^[6] That adjective is formed from Latin sōl + -āris, from the word for the sun.^[7] The French adjective is itself a learned loan from Latin.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1829, with the sense “of the sun”.^[6] MDA2 cites I. Golescu's Condica limbii rumânești of about 1832.^[3] The DLR quotes an early astronomical use: dark spots seen on the sun through a telescope, which astronomers call macule solare.^[9]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed close to the sun: what belongs to it, comes from it or concerns it, with fixed terms such as an solar “solar year” and sistem solar “solar system”.^[2][10] Eminescu used it for the world of the stars, a sense the DLRLC labels rare.^[11][6] From the 1970s the press used it for things that run on solar energy, such as casă solară “solar house”.^[12] MDN adds a figurative sense “bright, cheerful”.^[4]

Timeline

• 1829 – first record.^[6]
• c. 1832 – in I. Golescu's Condica limbii rumânești.^[3]
• 1975 – energie solară in a press report on a house powered by solar energy.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of the sun: belonging to it, coming from it or concerning it;^[2][3][1] an solar the solar year.^[2][3][1]
2. Using the energy of the sun: panou solar.^[4][12]
3. (rare) Of the stars.^[3][11]
4. (figurative) Bright, cheerful, open.^[4]

Related words

• soare
• solariu

Usage notes

DEX has a second solar, a neuter noun that is a variant of solariu.^[2] Old and regional texts also have a masculine noun solar “salt carrier, salt merchant”, from Bulgarian солар (solar) or Slavonic solarĭ, recorded from 1705–1706.^[3][13][14]

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. 1031
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 927
4. ^ a b c d Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. solar
5. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. solar
6. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. solár 2
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. sōlāris
8. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. solaire
9. ^ Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. solar
10. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. solar
11. ^ a b Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 4, 168
12. ^ a b c Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. solár
13. ^ 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. solar
14. ^ Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. solár 1