tătâne

Forms

tătâne m (plural tătăni)^[1]

Etymology

It is a variant of tată.^[2][3] In DEX and Wiktionary it is inherited from Latin tata (“dad”), in a declension with the oblique stem ⟨tatan-⟩, and Scriban reconstructs the popular Latin accusative Vulgar Latin *tatanem.^[4][1][5] Densusianu and Rosetti gave this explanation, comparing Late Latin barba (“paternal uncle”), barbanis.^[2]

Ciorănescu doubts it, because this declension is of Germanic origin and is unlikely to have reached the Latin of Dacia.^[2] He sees a paragogic ⟨-ne⟩, as in Italian and in cine and sine, perhaps supported by the plural pairs of frate and om.^[2] The Aromanian plural tătîni and the Megleno-Romanian plural tătǫni show the same ending.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the plural tătânri “fathers” in the Codicele Voronețean (Acts 26:6): „cătră tătânri giuruită” “promised to the fathers”.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In the old texts the form is usual with a possessive: Moxa's chronicle has tătâne-său “his father”, and so do the Moldavian chroniclers.^[6][7] It became popular and regional: Scriban records it in the east, and in Maramureș it is rare and obsolete, found here and there in the Codru and Chioar areas.^[5][8]

Timeline

• c. 1563-1583 – the plural tătânri in the Codicele Voronețean, the first record.^[6]
• 1909 – tătâne-meu in a donation note printed by Bârlea.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. (popular) father, mostly with a possessive: tătâne-meu “my father”.^[4][5][1]

Related words

• tată

Usage notes

Before a possessive the genitive and dative take the forms tătâne-, tătăni- or tătână-.^[4] DEX gives the plural tătăni, Ștef tătâni.^[4][8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. tată
3. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1175
4. ^ a b c d DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1109
5. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 1304
6. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. tată
7. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. tatâne
8. ^ a b c Ștef, Dorin (2021), Dicționar de regionalisme și arhaisme din județul Maramureș, 3rd ed., Baia Mare, p. s.v. tătâne