Romanian words from Latin
2429 Romanian words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 32).
rețea
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *retella (“little net”), a diminutive of Latin rēte (“net”). Ciorănescu compares Italian rezza, the Abruzzi dialect form ritedda and French réseau. Pușcariu took…
rezema
Its origin is uncertain: DEX, DLR and Tiktin call it unknown. In Ciorănescu's view it is inherited from Vulgar Latin *rhizomō, from Ancient Greek ῥιζόομαι (rhizóomai, “to be firmly rooted, to rest…
rezident
It is borrowed from Latin residēns; the dictionaries name German Resident and French résident as sources together with the Latin word. Marcu and Maneca name Italian residente beside the French word…
rezolva
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin resolvere, with German resolvieren as a second model. Tiktin also names Italian risolvere, which the DN compares, and the MDN gives Latin and German as the…
ridica
Its origin is disputed. The DLR, MDA2 and Wiktionary hold that it is inherited from Latin ērādīcō (“to root out”), from rādīx (“root”), the view of Tiktin, Candrea and Graur. The learned eradica…
ridiche
It is inherited from Latin rādīcula (“little root; radish”), a diminutive of rādīx (“root”). Wiktionary notes the early loss of the Latin /u/. The Latin word also gave Italian radicchio and northern…
rinichi
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *reniclus, from Latin rēniculus (“little kidney”), a diminutive of rēn (“kidney”). Ciorănescu cites Pușcariu and the REW for this etymology. It survives south of…
ritual
It is borrowed from French rituel, with Italian rituale as a second model, as DEX and DILF give it. MDA2, the DLR and NODEX add borrowed from Latin rītuālis (“relating to religious rites”) and…
roade
It is inherited from Latin rōdō (“to gnaw”). DÉRom reconstructs it for Proto-Romance with the sense “to wear away with the teeth bit by bit”. The word survives in all four branches: Aromanian arod…
roată
It is inherited from Latin rota (“wheel”). The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *Hret- (“to run, roll”). It survives south of the Danube: Aromanian aroatã and Megleno-Romanian roată. Its…
roib
It is inherited from Latin rubeus (“red, reddish”), also spelled robeus. The word survives south of the Danube: Aromanian aroibu “chestnut horse”. Its Romance cognates include Old Italian robbio…
roibă
It is inherited from Latin rubia (“madder”), derived from ruber (“red”). DEX and MDA2 give the Latin form as robia. Tiktin and Scriban think the sound of the word was partly shaped by roib. Its…
roman
1. The word for the novel is borrowed from French roman. The old form ⟨romanț⟩ follows Italian romanzo, and ⟨romans⟩ follows Russian романс (romans). The French word comes from Old French romanz, a…
român
It is inherited from Latin rōmānus (“Roman”), an adjective that Latin formed on Rōma (“Rome”). The form with the regular sound changes is rumân, kept in popular speech; the form with ⟨o⟩ is a…
rost
It is inherited from Latin rōstrum (“beak, snout”). It survives as Aromanian arostu “mouth; shed of the loom”. The Romance cognates are Italian rostro, Spanish rostro “face”, Catalan rostre and…
rosti
It is formed from Romanian rost + -i; the noun once meant “mouth, speech” and also names the gap between the warp threads of a loom. The noun is from Latin rōstrum (“beak, snout”), with Aromanian…
roșu
It is probably inherited from Latin russus (“red”), the source Ciorănescu and Tiktin prefer. Pușcariu, the REW and Candrea derived it instead from roseus (“rose-coloured”), and MDA2 gives that…
rotilă
It is formed from Romanian roată + -ilă, a diminutive of roată “wheel”. Scriban compares the same suffix in scărilă. The noun is from Latin rota (“wheel”).
rotund
It is inherited from Late Latin retundus (“round”), a variant of Latin rotundus. The old form rătund continues it regularly. Tiktin regards the modern form, used since Heliade, as a learned…
rouă
It is inherited from Latin rōs (“dew”), a word that Romanian shares with Occitan ros and Catalan ros. It survives in Aromanian aroauă and Megleno-Romanian rauă. The Latin word comes from…
roura
It is inherited from Latin rōrō (“to drip with dew”), from rōs (“dew”). DEX says the verb was remade after rouă, and Tiktin explains the split of the stem vowel as in that noun; the old (în)roa is a…
roz
It is borrowed from French rose (“pink”), the French colour adjective, itself the name of the flower. The French noun is from Latin rosa (“rose”), borrowed into Old French in the 12th century. The…
rug
1. The word for the bramble is inherited from Latin rubus (“bramble, blackberry bush”). The Latin /b/ between vowels became /g/ here, as in neg and negură. The Latin noun is traced to…
ruga
It is inherited from Latin rogō (“to ask”). Wiktionary traces the Latin verb to Proto-Indo-European *h₃roǵ-, an ablaut grade of *h₃reǵ- (“to stretch out”), with a shift from “stretch out (one's…
rugăciune
It is inherited from Latin rogātiōnem (“request”), the accusative of a noun formed on rogō (“to ask”). Ciorănescu takes it as probably coming straight from Latin, following Pușcariu and the REW…
rugi
It is inherited from Latin rūgiō (“to roar, bellow”), a verb used of lions and deer. Its closest relative south of the Danube is Aromanian arujescu “to neigh”, made with the suffix -escu. Papahagi…
rugină
It is most often explained as inherited from Vulgar Latin *aerūgina, a variant of Latin aerūgō (“copper rust, verdigris”). Pușcariu, Pascu, Candrea and the REW take this view; Tiktin compares lumină…
ruina
It is borrowed from Latin ruīnō (“to overthrow”), also borrowed from French ruiner, a neologism. Tiktin gives only the New Latin verb, Wiktionary only the French. The Latin verb is formed from ruīna…
rumega
It is inherited from Latin rūmigō (“to chew the cud”), a late Latin verb. The Latin verb is formed on rūmen (“throat, gullet”) with the verb suffix -igō. Ungureanu notes that the grammarian Caper…
rupe
It is inherited from Latin rumpō (“to break, burst”). The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *Hru-n-p- (“to break”), a present with a nasal infix. The word survives in all four branches…
să
It is inherited from Latin sī (“if”). The vowel /ə/ comes from the Latin long /iː/ in an unstressed position, as in vecin from vīcīnus. The word survives south of the Danube as Aromanian si…
șa
It is inherited from Latin sella (“seat; saddle”), through an older form șea. The Latin word comes from *sedlā, from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”). The word survives south of the Danube as…
sac
It is inherited from Latin saccus (“sack, bag”). The word survives in all four branches: Aromanian sac, Megleno-Romanian sac and Istro-Romanian sǫc. Its Romance cognates include Italian sacco…
săcret
It is inherited from Latin sēcrētus (“set apart, solitary”), the participle of sēcernō (“to separate”). Pușcariu and the REW explain the Romanian senses “deserted, cursed” from the Latin sense…
sacrifica
It is borrowed from Latin sacrificō (“to offer a sacrifice”) and French sacrifier, the two sources DEX, MDN, DILF and NODEX name. MDA2 and DLR give Latin as the source; DLR takes the old variant…
sacrificiu
It is borrowed from Latin sacrificium (“sacrifice, offering to a deity”) and at the same time borrowed from French sacrifice, a learned loan of the early 19th century. Tiktin gives only the Latin…
sacru
It is borrowed from Latin sacer (“sacred”) (neuter sacrum), a learned word of the 19th century, perhaps also borrowed from Italian sacro. Ciorănescu, MDA2 and the DLR give the Latin word alone; DEX…
săcui
DEX and Wiktionary take it as probably inherited from Vulgar Latin *sacculeus, from Latin sacculus (“a small bag”), a view Ciorănescu attributes to Candrea. The DLR and MDA2 take it as a diminutive…
săgeată
It is inherited from Latin sagitta (“arrow”). Ciorănescu cites Pușcariu, the REW, Skok and Jokl for this etymology. De Vaan finds no etymology for the Latin word. It survives south of the Danube as…
săgeta
It is inherited from Latin sagittō (“to shoot arrows”), according to DEX, the DLR, MDA2, Tiktin and Wiktionary. Ciorănescu lists it among the derivatives of săgeată and adds that it could come…
sain
DER takes it as inherited from Latin suīnus (“of swine”), following P. Papahagi and Rosetti, and Wiktionary gives the same etymon. The DLR and MDA2 only compare the Latin feminine suīna, and MDA2…
salariu
It is borrowed from French salaire, borrowed from Latin salārium, a double source that DEX, MDA2, DLR and MDN name. DN gives French as the source with the Latin as its model, and Wiktionary adds…
salbă
Its origin is disputed. DEX, MDA2, NODEX and the Romanian Wiktionary take it as inherited from Latin subalba, a proposal of Candrea, and Wiktionary calls this probable. DER rejects it, citing…
sălbatic
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin salvāticus, the popular form of Latin silvāticus (“of the woods, wild”), from silva (“forest”). MDA2, the DLR and Wiktionary start from the classical form. Its…
sălcet
It is inherited from Latin salicētum (“willow thicket”) according to Ciorănescu, the REW, Cihac and Wiktionary. The REW and Ciorănescu compare Italian salceto, French saussaie and Occitan sauzeda…
salcie
It is inherited from Latin salix (“willow”), from its accusative salicem. The older Romanian form is ⟨salce⟩. It survives south of the Danube: Aromanian salțe and Megleno-Romanian sâlcă. Its Romance…
sălciu
It is formed from Romanian salcie + -iu, according to DEX, NODEX, the DLR and MDA2. Ciorănescu finds the link with the willow evident, through the bitter taste of the willow leaf, as Pușcariu and…
șale
It is inherited from Latin sella (“seat, chair; saddle”), in origin the plural of șa “saddle”. Ciorănescu notes that the saddle word may also have the plural ⟨șele⟩ in its other senses, while for…
salt
It is borrowed from Latin saltus (“leap”) together with borrowed from Italian salto in the view of DEX and MDA2. The Latin noun is formed on saliō (“to jump”). Ciorănescu and Tiktin instead treat it…
sălta
It is inherited from Latin saltō (“to dance; to jump”). Ciorănescu follows Pușcariu and the REW in this. The Latin verb is a frequentative formed on saliō (“to jump”). In Classical Latin it meant…
saluta
It is borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet”), a learned loan of the 19th century, and at the same time borrowed from Italian salutare. Marcu & Maneca also compare French saluer. The Latin verb is…
salva
It is borrowed from Latin salvō (“to save”), with Italian salvare, the sources DEX, MDA2, the DLR and MDN name. DN gives the Latin verb and compares the Italian one, while Ciorănescu and Tiktin give…
salvare
It is formed from Romanian salva (“to save”) + -re, the long infinitive of the verb used as a noun. The verb salva is from Latin salvō (“to save”), a late Latin verb formed on salvus (“safe”), taken…
sămânță
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *sementia (“seed”). Wiktionary takes it as Late Latin sementia, the plural of a neuter sementium, formed on Latin sēmentis (“sowing”), from sēmen (“seed”). Graur…
sâmbătă
Ciorănescu takes it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *sambatum (“Saturday”), the form with /m/ of Latin sabbatum. Wiktionary gives the feminine *sambata as the immediate source. The same nasal form…
sâmcea
Ciorănescu, after Candrea and Rosetti, takes it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *summicēlla, a diminutive formed on summa (“top, summit”). Tiktin gives this explanation as one of two possible ones…
sân
It is inherited from Latin sinus (“fold, cavity, bosom”). The word survives in all four branches: Aromanian sin, Megleno-Romanian sin and Istro-Romanian sir. The Romance cognates include Italian…
sănătate
It is inherited from Latin sānitās (“health”), continued in its accusative sānitātem. The Latin noun is formed on sānus (“healthy, sound”) with the suffix -tās. The word survives south of the…
sănătos
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *sānitōsus (“healthy”), a form not recorded in Latin texts, built on sānitās (“health”) with the adjective suffix -ōsus. The Latin noun comes from sānus (“healthy…
sânge
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *sanguem, a Vulgar Latin remaking of the accusative sanguinem of Latin sanguis (“blood”). De Vaan traces the first part of the Latin word to the oblique stem…