Romanian words from Latin
2429 Romanian words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 23).
masă
1. The word for “mass” is borrowed from French masse, a neologism of the early 19th century. The DLR, MDA2 and Tiktin also name German Masse as a source; DEX names only the French word. The…
mascul
It is borrowed from Latin masculus (“male”), with Italian masculo as a second model. Marcu & Maneca and Scriban name only the Latin word, and Wiktionary takes it from Italian, itself borrowed from…
masculin
It is borrowed from French masculin, a neologism of the 19th century, and was also borrowed from Latin masculīnus (“of the male sex”) as a learned word. Tiktin and Scriban name only the Latin word…
mascur
It is inherited from Latin masculus (“male”); Tiktin starts from porcus masculus (“male pig”). Ciorănescu cites Pușcariu (no. 1044), Candrea–Densusianu (no. 1049) and the REW. The Latin word is a…
măsea
It is inherited from Latin maxilla (“jaw”). The Latin word is a diminutive of māla (“jaw, cheekbone”). The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian mãseauã and Megleno-Romanian măseauă. Its…
măsura
It is inherited from Late Latin mēnsūrō (“to measure”), a verb first recorded in the 4th century and formed on mēnsūra (“measure”). Candrea–Densusianu, Tiktin and the REW take it straight from the…
măsură
It is inherited from Latin mēnsūra (“measuring, measure”). The Latin noun is formed on mētior (“to measure”) with -tūra. The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian misură and Megleno-Romanian…
maț
It is inherited from Latin matia (“bowels, intestines”). The first Romanian form was the plural mațe, matching the Latin form, and the singular was remade from it later, as Candrea showed…
mătase
It is inherited from Latin metaxa (“raw silk, thread”), also spelled mataxa. Latin took it from Ancient Greek μέταξα (métaxa, “raw silk”), a word of unknown origin; the spelling with ⟨a⟩, “rough…
material
It is borrowed from French matériel and directly borrowed from Latin māteriālis (“made of matter”) according to DEX and Marcu, who also names German materiell; MDA2 and the DLR give the same three…
materie
It is a learned borrowing, borrowed from Latin māteria (“timber; stuff, matter”). The dictionaries name several sources at once: MDA2, DLR and DEX add Italian materia, Russian материя (materija) and…
mătrice
It is inherited from Latin mātrīcem (“womb”), the accusative case of the Latin noun. The Latin word is formed on māter (“mother”) and meant a breeding animal and the womb. The word survives south of…
matur
It is borrowed from Latin mātūrus (“ripe, full-grown”), with Italian maturo as a second model. Ciorănescu calls it a 19th-century doublet of mator “old”, which he takes from Old Church Slavonic…
mătușă
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *mita, a form of Latin amita (“father's sister, aunt”) that lost its first syllable, extended in Romanian with the diminutive suffix -ușă, as in auș. DEX, MDA2 and…
maxim
The adjective is borrowed from Latin maximus (“greatest”), borrowed from French maxime or French maxima: DEX, MDA2 and DLR name the Latin and French models together, while Marcu and Maneca give…
mecanic
It is a borrowing with several models: borrowed from Latin mēchanicus (“of machines, mechanical”), borrowed from Italian meccanico, borrowed from French mécanique and, for the noun “mechanic”…
medic
It is a learned borrowed from Latin medicus (“physician”), as DEX, DLR, MDA2, MDN, Tiktin and Wiktionary give it. Ciorănescu has it as borrowed from Italian medico instead. The old adjective…
medical
It is borrowed from French médical. The French adjective is from Medieval Latin medicālis, formed on Latin medicus (“physician”). Negulici's dictionary of neologisms gave the Medieval Latin word as…
medicament
It is borrowed from French médicament, also borrowed from Latin medicāmentum (“drug, remedy”), as MDA2, DEX 2009, the DLR and the MDN give it. The DN names French with a reference to Latin…
medicină
It is borrowed from Latin medicīna (“the art of healing; remedy”). For the old and regional sense “medicine, drug”, DEX names German Medizin and Russian медицина (medicina). MDA2 gives all three as…
medie
It is a learned borrowed from Latin media, the feminine of medius (“middle”) used as a noun. Scriban and the Romanian Wiktionary instead treat it as a Romanian formation on the adjective mediu, and…
mediu
The adjective is borrowed from Latin medius (“middle”). Gabinschi takes it from Latin with Italian medio as a model, and DLR and MDA2 compare mezzo for the older form meziu. The noun is borrowed…
membru
It is borrowed from Latin membrum (“limb, member”), with French membre as a second model, as DEX, DLR and MDA2 give it, and MDA2 adds Italian membro. Wiktionary gives only French, Tiktin only New…
memorie
It is borrowed from Latin memoria (“memory”), with Italian memoria and French mémoire as further models. Tiktin gives Latin and Italian, the neologism dictionaries Latin, Italian and French…
meresân
Its origin is uncertain. Wiktionary, DLRM and CADE take it as inherited from Latin malesānus (“unhealthy”), the derivation Drăganu proposed in the journal Dacoromania; MDA2 and DLR only compare that…
merge
It is inherited from Latin mergō (“to dip, plunge, sink”), with a change of meaning found only in Eastern Romance. The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mesg- (“to plunge, dip”). The verb…
merinde
It is inherited from Latin merenda (“light afternoon meal”), a word that originally named a light meal given to labourers in the afternoon. The Latin noun is the gerundive of mereō (“to earn…
meriza
It is inherited from Latin merīdiō (“to take a midday rest, a siesta”). The Latin verb is formed on merīdiēs (“midday, noon”). South of the Danube the verb is Aromanian amiridz, used of sheep…
meser
It is inherited from Latin miser (“wretched, unfortunate”). Elsewhere in Romance the Latin adjective left only a few old forms, such as Old Lombard meser and Old French mezre, which did not last…
meserere
It is inherited from Latin miserēre (“to have pity”), the Latin infinitive kept as a noun. Tiktin finds the survival of the infinitive as a noun very striking. Wiktionary instead supposes a lost…
mește
It is inherited from Latin misceō (“to mix”). The Romanian verb, like Italian mescere, has the stress on the root, so Candrea and Densusianu, DELI and Nocentini start from an infinitive of the third…
mesteacăn
It is probably inherited from Late Latin mastichinus (“of mastic”), from Ancient Greek μαστίχινος (mastíkhinos, “prepared with mastic”), from μαστίχη (mastíkhē, “mastic”). The tree was named after…
mesteca
It is inherited from Latin masticō (“to chew”). The Latin verb is a late, popular formation with the suffix -icō, borrowed from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω (mastikháō, “to grind the teeth”). Tiktin…
metal
It is borrowed from French métal and at the same time borrowed from German Metall, and in older writers borrowed from Latin metallum. MDA2 also counts Italian metallo and Modern Greek μέταλλον…
metru
It is borrowed from French mètre and, at the same time, borrowed from Latin metrum (“poetic metre”), as DEX and DILF give it. Tiktin and Wiktionary name French alone, and DN compares Ancient Greek…
meu
It is inherited from Latin meus (“my, mine”), with the feminine mea from mea. The regular outcome would have been ⟨mieu⟩, which lost its diphthong by analogy with the feminine ⟨mea⟩ according to…
miază
1. The word for the disease is borrowed from Italian miasi according to DEX 2009 and Wiktionary. The neologism dictionaries of Marcu and Maneca and of Marcu give it as borrowed from French myiase…
miazănoapte
It is inherited from Latin mediam noctem (“midnight”), the accusative of media nox, with nox (“night”). Ciorănescu treats it among the compounds of miez, from medius, whose feminine media survives…
miazăzi
It is inherited from Latin mediam diem (“midday”), with media and diēs (“day”). Ciorănescu lists it among the compounds of miez, from medius. It survives south of the Danube: Aromanian njadzã-dzuã…
mic
It is probably inherited from Vulgar Latin *miccus (“small”), a form the dictionaries reconstruct rather than find in texts. Ciorănescu thinks the word is of expressive origin, but older than…
mie
It is inherited from Latin mīlia, the plural of mīlle (“thousand”). Wiktionary traces the Latin numeral to Proto-Indo-European *smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ (“one thousand”). The Latin plural, not the singular…
miel
It is inherited from Latin agnellus (“little lamb”), a diminutive of agnus (“lamb”). The Latin word survives in all four branches of Romanian: Aromanian njel, Megleno-Romanian ńel and Istro-Romanian…
miercuri
It is inherited from Latin diēs Mercuriī (“day of Mercury”), with the name of the god Mercurius in the genitive. DEX, MDA2 and DLR start from the popular form mercuris, which Candrea and Densusianu…
miere
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *melem, a form of Latin mel (“honey”) with a final /-e/ and a change of gender. Ciorănescu, following Pușcariu, the REW and Candrea–Densusianu, explains the Vulgar…
mieriu
1. The word for “blue” is formed from Romanian mier + -iu, from the regional adjective mier “blue”. That adjective (also written mieru) is inherited from merus (“pure, unmixed”). Tiktin had called…
mierlă
It is inherited from Latin merula (“blackbird”). It survives in all four branches: Aromanian njerlã, Megleno-Romanian ńierla and Istro-Romanian merlę. The Romance cognates include Italian merla and…
mieru
It is inherited from Latin merus (“pure, unmixed”). Pușcariu discussed the etymology in the journal Dacoromania, and the REW lists the Transylvanian word meaning “blue” under the Latin word, beside…
miez
It is inherited from Latin medius (“middle, central”). Ciorănescu cites Diez, Pușcariu, Candrea and Densusianu and the REW for it. The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos…
mijloc
Most dictionaries trace it to the phrase inherited from Latin medius locus (“middle place”). Ciorănescu names Cipariu, Pușcariu, Candrea and Densusianu and the REW for this view, but he thinks the…
mincinos
It is formed from Romanian minciună + -os, with the adjective suffix. The noun minciună “lie” is from Latin mentiō (“mention”), or a reduced Vulgar Latin *mentītiō. Compare Aromanian minciunos. The…
minciună
It is inherited from Late Latin mentiō (“lie”), a noun formed on mentior (“to lie”) and distinct from mentiō (“mention”). Ciorănescu and Pușcariu start from a form *mentītiō, later shortened…
ministru
It is borrowed from Latin minister (“servant”), taken in the 18th century, and later also borrowed from French ministre. Tiktin names New Latin alone, DN and MDN put French first. The Latin noun is…
minte
It is inherited from Latin mentem (“mind”), the accusative of the Latin noun. The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *méntis (“thought”). The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian…
minți
It is inherited from Latin mentior (“to lie”), in the active form *mentiō. DER and REW start from this active form, and the verb is shared with the Western Romance languages: Italian mentire, French…
mințitor
It is formed from Romanian minți + -tor. minți “to lie” is from Latin mentior (“to lie”). Ciorănescu calls it a rare word formed within Romanian; the REW instead takes it from Latin, as “liar”…
minune
According to DEX and MDA2 it is inherited from Vulgar Latin *miriō (“one who marvels”), a noun formed on mīror (“to wonder at”). Candrea and Densusianu proposed this etymon, and Tiktin and Scriban…
minus
It is borrowed from Latin minus (“less”), a learned borrowing. The Latin word is the neuter of the comparative minor (“smaller”), used as an adverb. Graur lists its Romanian relatives from the same…
minut
It is borrowed from Latin minūtus (“small”), taken as a noun in the 17th century, according to Ciorănescu, who compares Modern Greek μινοῦτο (minoúto) and the French word. MDA2 and the DLR name…
mioară
It is formed from Romanian mia + -ioară, from mia “young ewe”. The noun is from Latin agnella (“ewe lamb”). Other sources link it with the masculine mior: Ciorănescu derives the masculine from miel…
mira
It is inherited from Latin mīror (“to wonder, be amazed”), in the popular active form mirāre that replaced the deponent. The Latin verb is formed on mīrus (“astonishing, remarkable”). It survives in…