vizitator

Forms

vizitator m (plural vizitatori)^[1] MDA2 records an old variant vizitător, and Filimon's novel has it: „Păturică ieși să vază pe vizitătorul” “Păturică went out to see the visitor”.^[2][3] A rare masculine vizitatore also occurs.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian vizita + -tor, the agent noun of the verb “to visit”.^[4][2][5][1] MDA2 compares Italian visitatore, and DEXI says the Romanian word was formed after that Italian noun and French visiteur.^[2][6] Marcu and Maneca compare only the French word, while the DLR derives the rare variant vizitatore straight from the Italian.^[7][3] Scriban adds Latin visitator beside the Romanian derivation.^[8]

The Italian noun is from Late Latin visitātor, from vīsitō (“to see often, inspect”), a frequentative of vīsō (“to look at attentively”), itself from videō (“to see”).^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1801, in the fourth volume of Samuil Micu's history, with the sense “visitor”.^[11] MDA2's first record is a periodical issue of 1829.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was a person who calls on someone, a guest.^[2][3] In the 19th century the DLR quotes it for callers at a house and for visitors to prisoners, and later for people who come to see a country, a town, a museum or an exhibition.^[3] In current use that second sense comes first, and DEX marks the social call as rare.^[4] MDA2 also lists an old sense “inspector”.^[2] It is also used as an adjective: the DLR quotes un preot vizitator “a visiting priest”.^[3]

Timeline

• 1801 – first record, in Samuil Micu's history.^[11]
• 1829 – in a periodical, the first record MDA2 gives.^[2]
• 1893–1895 – Damé glosses it with French visiteur.^[12]
• 1955–1957 – DLRLC puts the museum or exhibition visitor first and labels the social caller rare.^[13]

Meanings

Noun

1. A visitor to a place: someone who comes to see a town, a country, a muzeu or an expoziție.^[4][2]
2. (rare) Someone who pays a vizită to a person, a guest or caller.^[4][6]
3. (obsolete) An inspector.^[2]

Related words

• vizita
• vizită
• Italian visitatore

Usage notes

The feminine is vizitatoare (plural vizitatoare).^[4][1] MDA2 lists musafir, oaspete and invitat as synonyms of the “guest” sense.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1500
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. vizitator
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1203
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. vizitator
6. ^ a b Dima, Eugenia (coord.) (2007), Dicționar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române, Chișinău: Arc / Gunivas, p. s.v. vizitator
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. vizitator
8. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1412
9. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
10. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. vizitator
12. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. vizitator
13. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 4, 677