ningã

ningã¹ still, yet

Etymology tree of ningã¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin umquam

Aromanian ningã

From the same root · ningã¹

Latin numquam ← umquam

Forms

ningã^[1]

• Also ninga, nicã, nica, nincã and ninca.^[1][2]
• Other spellings: NÍNGA, with NÍNCA, NÍCA and NÍCĂ, in Papahagi's dictionary;^[3][4] Pascu heads it nincă and records ningă, ninga, nică and nica from his sources;^[5] nika in Meyer's reading of Kavalliotis.^[6]
• Weigand found ningă (he writes ningo) in the south and the centre of the Aromanian area, beside nikă;^[7][6] the glossary of Papahagi's folk tales has ningă everywhere.^[8]

Etymology

The adverb is inherited from Latin unquam (“ever, at any time”) according to Pascu, Candrea and Densusianu, Capidan and Ciorănescu.^{[5][9][10][11]} Candrea and Densusianu explain the initial n of the Aromanian form by fusion with the negative particle ni.^[9] Wiktionary and REW start instead from numquam (“never”).^[1][12] Ciorănescu explains the sense by the negative use of the Latin word: a phrase meaning never married came to mean not yet married.^[11]

The same word is Romanian încă, Megleno-Romanian ancă and Istro-Romanian incă.^[11][10] Pascu and Candrea and Densusianu compare Old Italian unqua, Old French onques and Old Occitan onca.^[5][9] Pascu gives as an alternative a Latin *anque, the source Meyer-Lübke proposed for Italian anche;^[5][13] Pușcariu found the Romanian word obscure and that form a poor fit for it.^[5][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Kavalliotis's word list of 1770, where nika (in Meyer's reading) translates Modern Greek ἀκόμη (akómi, “still, yet”).^[6]

Semantic evolution

From the Latin sense of ever, which in negative clauses meant never, the word came to mean still and not yet.^[11] Papahagi gives the senses still and even, with examples such as nínga nifáptu (not yet born).^[3] The glossary of Papahagi's folk tales records ningă nă oară (once more).^[8]

Timeline

• 1770 – nika (Meyer's reading) “still” in Kavalliotis's word list.^[6]
• 1894 – Weigand records ningo “still” in the south and centre.^[7]
• 1925 – Pascu derives nincă from Latin unquam.^[5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Still, yet.^[2][3][8][1]
2. Even.^[3][2]
3. Again, more, as in ningă nă oară (once more).^[8]

ningã² near, beside

Etymology tree of ningã²

inherited borrowed derived

Latin longus

Aromanian ningã

French long

Italian lungo

From the same root · ningã²

Latin elongo ← longus

Latin longiter ← longus

Latin longitudo ← longus

Latin longurius ← longus

Latin praelongus ← longus

French longtemps ← long

Forms

ningã (preposition)^[2]

• Also ninga, nãngã and nincã, and the compounds priningã and piningã.^[2]
• Other spellings: NÎ’NGĂ and NÍNCĂ in Papahagi's dictionary;^[14][3] nínga and níngă in Mihăileanu's Romanian-based spelling;^[15] Pascu lists lingă and ningă from his sources, among them Boiagi's grammar of 1813.^[16]
• The glossary of Papahagi's folk tales has ningi everywhere in this sense.^[8]

Etymology

The preposition is inherited from Latin longo (“long; along”).^{[14][16][11][9]} Pascu and Candrea and Densusianu explain the Aromanian form as an older form like Romanian lângă in which the l was assimilated to the following n.^[16][9] Pușcariu and Capidan start instead from longum followed by ad (“to”), which Ciorănescu finds less likely on phonetic grounds.^[13][17][11]

Megleno-Romanian has lăngă and Istro-Romanian pringę.^[11] For the sense, Pascu and Ciorănescu compare Italian lungo (“along, beside”) and Old Occitan lonc (“beside”).^[16][11] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *dlongo- and Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰ-o-.^[18]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated record is in Boiagi's grammar of 1813, which Pascu cites for ningă.^[16]

Timeline

• 1813 – ningă in Boiagi's grammar, as cited by Pascu.^[16]
• 1901 – nínga “beside” in Mihăileanu's dictionary.^[15]
• 1963 – Papahagi derives it from Latin longo.^[14]

Meanings

Preposition

1. Near, beside, next to, as in şédzi níngă mine (sit beside me).^[2][15][14]