submarin

Forms

submarin m or n (feminine singular submarină, masculine plural submarini, feminine/neuter plural submarine)^[1] The oldest record has the form suptmărin, with the old prefix supt-: „Acest caic aburos suptmărin au petrecut întâi pe luciul mării și apoi în adâncime” “this submarine steam boat went first over the surface of the sea and then into the deep” (1832).^[2][3] The MDA2 also lists the variants subtmarin and, rarely, a feminine noun submarină.^[3]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian sub- + marin, modelled on French sous-marin.^[4][3][2][1] The French word is itself formed sous- + marin.^[1] Marcu takes the adjective from French and the noun “submarine (vessel)” from English submarine,^[5] while the DN and the DEX trace both to the French model.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, of 1832, describes a steam vessel that travelled first on the surface of the sea and then below it, under the form suptmărin.^[2][3] There the word is an adjective of vessels and devices made to work under the sea.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the adjective was used of telegraph cables, rocks and volcanoes beneath the sea: Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 glosses it “that is under the sea”.^[2][7] Scriban's dictionary of 1939 has the noun for a warship that can sail under water beside the adjective, with a long note on the history of such vessels.^[8] The MDA2 also records an obsolete sense, any technical device that can be lowered under the sea.^[3] Rarely, the adjective is used of plants and animals living under water.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1832 – first record, as suptmărin, of a steam vessel.^[3][2]
• 1855 – stânci submarine “underwater rocks” in a calendar.^[2]
• 1870 – in Costinescu's dictionary, as an adjective.^[7]
• 1886 – in Barcianu's dictionary, glossed German unter dem Meere.^[9]
• 1939 – Scriban records the noun “submarine (vessel)”.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Found or happening under the surface of the sea or ocean or on its bottom; relating to the region below the surface: un cablu submarin.^[4][3]
2. (of vessels and devices) Made to work in this environment.^[3]

Noun

1. A submarine: a warship or research vessel that can sail both on the surface and under water; submersibil.^[4][3]

Related words

• mare
• submersibil

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. submarin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1033
4. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1065
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. submarin
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. submarin
7. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 571
8. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1257
9. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 618