verișoară

Forms

verișoară f (plural verișoare)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian vară (“female cousin”) + -ișoară, and it serves as the feminine of verișor, the diminutive of văr “cousin”.^[1][2][3] Ciorănescu lists both diminutives among the derivatives of the base, and Tiktin gives it as the feminine of the masculine diminutive.^[3][4] Wikționar calls it a back-formation from the masculine.^[5]

The base goes back to Latin vērus (“true”), used beside cōnsōbrīnus (“cousin”) for a full cousin.^[3][6] Pușcariu discussed it in article 1856 of his Latin dictionary.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Lexicon de la Buda of 1825 has verișoară “female cousin”, with Latin, Hungarian and German equivalents that name a daughter of a father's brother, of a mother's sister or of an aunt.^[7] The masculine verișor is recorded from before 1781, and the base văr from 1505.^[2][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The word names a female cousin, and like verișor it is used in familiar address between equals.^[2][1] Tiktin quotes Alecsandri for it: „Tonul cu care vorbești verișoarei mele îmi displace” “I do not like the tone you take with my cousin”.^[4] In regional speech the feminine has also meant a sister by oath, verișoară de cruce, and in slang a sweetheart.^[2]

Timeline

• 1505 – văr “cousin”, the first record of the base.^[6][4]
• before 1781 – verișor, the masculine diminutive.^[2]
• 1825 – verișoară “female cousin” in the Lexicon de la Buda.^[7]
• 1870 – Cihac records a regional verișoară “short summer”, a diminutive of the other vară.^[2][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A female cousin, the daughter of one's uncle or aunt.^[1][2][7]
2. (familiar, in the vocative) A friendly form of address to a woman of equal standing.^[2]
3. (regional) A sister by oath.^[2]
4. (slang) A sweetheart.^[2]

Related words

• văr
• verișor
• vară

Usage notes

A regional verișoară, also vărișoară, is a diminutive of vară “summer”, meaning a short summer;^[2][8] Cihac recorded it in 1870, and MDA2 and the DLR list it separately.^[2][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1460
3. ^ a b c d 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. văr
4. ^ 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. văr
5. ^ Wikționar (Romanian Wiktionary), ro.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. verișoară
6. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1425
7. ^ a b c 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. 751
8. ^ a b c Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. verișor, -oară