zgomot

Forms

zgomot n (plural zgomote)^[1] It was also written sgomot;^[2][3] Dosoftei's Lives of the Saints has gomot, another old text scomot, and the DLR lists an old scâmot.^[2][3] A regional short form zgom is used in south-eastern Oltenia for “a shout” and “fame”.^[3][4]

Etymology

The DLR and MDA2 take it as formed from Romanian z- + gomot, from the prefix and the variant gomot, which survives in Moldavia and Serbia.^[3][4][5] The source of the base is disputed.^[6][1][2] Ciorănescu's short entry derives it from Slovak gomot and Serbo-Croatian glomot, with gomon as a doublet;^[6][5] Scriban compares Slovene and Serbian forms.^[6][5] Wiktionary derives it from the Serbo-Croatian word, which it takes from Polish gomon, and compares Russian загомонить (zagomonitʹ, “to start talking loudly”).^[1] Tiktin only suggests a link with the Russian, Polish, Czech and Ukrainian words for “din”.^[2]

The Bulgarian etymological dictionary gives the dialect word Bulgarian гломот (glomot, “din, crush”) beside the Serbo-Croatian word for “noise”, without close matches in the other Slavic languages, formed with the suffix ⟨-ot⟩ of words for noises.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is the Îndreptarea legii of 1652, in a rule against clapping and dancing “în zgomotul acela” “in that din” during the fasts.^[2] MDA2 cites the Romanian translation of Neagoe Basarab's Învățături, which it dates by its edition of 1843.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word means a confused or unpleasant sound and the din of voices; the DLR quotes mari zgomote spre miazănoapte “great noises towards the north” from 1703.^[3][8] In the 19th century it took the sense “rumour, news” as a calque on French bruit, recorded in 1833 and in Bălcescu, and the phrase a face zgomot “to cause a stir”.^[3][5][8] Technical language uses it for random acoustic or signal disturbance: zgomot de fond “background noise” and zgomot alb “white noise”.^[8][4]

Timeline

• 1652 – zgomot in the Îndreptarea legii, Tiktin's first record.^[2]
• 1703 – mari zgomote “great noises”.^[3]
• 1833 – the sense “news, rumour”, after French bruit.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. An unpleasant noise or a mix of loud, jarring sounds.^[8][1]
2. din, uproar, tumult;^[8] a face zgomot “to cause a stir”.^[8]
3. (technical) Random acoustic or signal disturbance, as in zgomot de fond “background noise” and zgomot alb “white noise”.^[8][4]
4. (dated) A rumour, a piece of news.^[3][5]

Word family

• zgomotos

Related words

• gomon

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. zgomot
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. zgomot
4. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1570
5. ^ a b c d e Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 1439
6. ^ a b c 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. zgomot
7. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 1, 251
8. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1, 1224