târziu

Forms

târziu m or n (feminine singular târzie, plural târzii)^[1] Old texts write tărdziu: the Codicele Voronețean speaks of the farmer who waits patiently for „ploaie timpurie și tărdzie” “the early and the late rain”.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin tardīvus (“slow, late”), formed on tardus (“slow”) with the suffix -īvus.^[4][3][2][1] DER cites Densusianu, Pușcariu and the REW, which starred the Latin adjective;^[4][5] Wiktionary notes that it is attested in the Tironian notes.^[1] The Latin base itself has no accepted etymology.^[6]

It survives south of the Danube as Aromanian tãrdziu.^[4][1] Its Romance cognates include Italian tardivo, Sardinian tardiu, French tardif, Spanish tardío and Portuguese tardio.^[4][5] The learned tardiv is its doublet.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the Codicele Voronețean (c. 1563–1583), where Tiktin and the DLR quote the late rain of the Epistle of James (5:7), ploaie... tărdzie.^[3][8][2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective describes what comes after the expected time.^[9] The adverb “late” grew out of it, as did the senses of a season drawn out towards its end and of fruit or crops that ripen late (poame târzii, porumb târziu).^[8][9] Applied to people it means slow, especially slow-witted: târziu la minte.^[8][4] In older texts it could also mean slow in general, as of breathing.^[2]

Old and popular phrases use it of a long time: târzie vreme “a long while”, nu după târzie vreme “soon”, and the noun într-un târziu “after a long wait”.^[9][3] Romanian derived întârzia “to be late” from it.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1563–1583 – tărdzie in the Codicele Voronețean.^[3][2]
• 1648 – ploaie timpurie și tărzie in the New Testament of 1648.^[2]
• 1825 – the Lexicon de la Buda gives it as adjective and adverb, glossed with Latin tardus, serotinus and tarde.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. late: happening after a certain time has passed or after the expected moment.^[9][3][1]
2. (of seasons) Prolonged beyond the usual, drawing to its end.^[9]
3. (of plants) Sown or ripening after the usual time;^[9] (of short-lived animals) living longer than usual: fluturi târzii.^[9]
4. (figurative, of people) slow-witted.^[9][8]

Adverb

1. Late, after the expected or appointed time;^[9][1] mai târziu “later”.^[9][1]
2. Towards the end of a period of time: e târziu “it is late”.^[9][11]

Word family

• târzielnic
• întârzia

Related words

• tardiv
• Aromanian tãrdziu
• Latin tardus

Usage notes

Mai curând sau mai târziu means “sooner or later” and cel (mai) târziu “at the latest”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. târziu
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, 1186
4. ^ a b c d e f 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. tîrziu
5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 8596
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ Gabinschi, Marcu (2001), Dicționar de dublete etimologice ale limbii române, 2nd ed., Chișinău: Litera, p. 170
8. ^ 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. târzíu
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1111
10. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 697
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. târziu