viermănos

Forms

viermănos m or n (feminine singular viermănoasă, masculine plural viermănoși, feminine/neuter plural viermănoase)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin verminōsus (“full of worms”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Tiktin explains the diphthong /je/ by the influence of vierme.^[5] Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of that noun rather than as a word of its own.^[6] The Latin adjective is formed on vermis (“worm”).^[7]

The word survives in Aromanian: Aromanian yirminos.^[1][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1703.^[5] MDA2 cites Klein's dictionary of about 1801 for it.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word means full of worms or eaten by worms, mostly of fruit.^[4][3] Folk verse uses the wormy pear or apple as an image of hidden decay: „Merele frumoase pot fi și viermănoase” “fine apples can be wormy too”.^[3] MDA2 adds regional senses, of teeth “decayed”, and figuratively “dishonest” and “envious”, and an old medical sense, “caused by intestinal worms”.^[2] For the medical sense the DLR compares French vermineux and Italian verminoso.^[3]

Timeline

• 1703 – the first record.^[5]
• c. 1801 – Klein's dictionary.^[2][3]
• 1939 – Scriban notes the eastern form vermănos.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (mostly of fruit) wormy, full of worms or eaten by worms.^[4][1]
2. (regional, of teeth) decayed.^[2]
3. (figurative) corrupt, dishonest.^[10][2]

Related words

• vierme
• Aromanian yirminos

Usage notes

Regional and older variants include viermânos, viermenos, vierminos and viermunos.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1475
3. ^ 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. viermănos
4. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1197
5. ^ 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. viermănos
6. ^ 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. vierme
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. verminosus
8. ^ Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 1111
9. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1405
10. ^ Dima, Eugenia (coord.) (2007), Dicționar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române, Chișinău: Arc / Gunivas, p. s.v. viermănos