tătic

Forms

tătic m (plural tătici)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian tată + -ic, a diminutive and term of endearment of the word for “father”.^[2][3][4][1] mămică is formed the same way from mamă.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 takes its first record from Tiktin's dictionary (1903).^[4] The DLR also cites Tiktin first, then Brătescu-Voinești, where a child calls Tăticule “daddy”, with the vocative ending -ule.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its core is a child's word for the father, often in the vocative tăticule.^[3][4] In the regional speech the DLR quotes, shortened forms occur: tică and the articled ticu.^[3][4] In north-western Muntenia tica bătrân “old daddy” means “grandfather”, and tică naș is recorded regionally for a godfather.^[3][4]

In familiar speech tăticule can also be said to any man: in Rebreanu's prose a woman uses it to her companion.^[3]

Timeline

• 1903 – in Tiktin's dictionary, the first record.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. daddy, dad: an affectionate diminutive of tată; the same as tătucă and tătișor.^[2][1]
2. (familiar, in the vocative tăticule) a term of address to a man.^[3][4]
3. (regional) tica bătrân: grandfather;^[3][4] tică naș: godfather.^[3][4]

Related words

• tată
• mămică

Usage notes

The vocative tăticule! is the usual form of address; the regional variants tică and ticu are mostly used the same way.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1109
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. tătic
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1175