top

Forms

top n (plural topuri)^[1][2]

• Other spellings: TOP, plural tópurĭ, in Papahagi's dictionary;^[1] tópŭ, definite tóplu, plural topurile, in Mihăileanu's Romanian-based spelling;^[2] topu, plural topuri, with a variant plural toapi, in DIARO.^[3]
• Regional forms: tópu, plural tóchi, in the dialect of Metsovo.^[4]
• Polenaković files it as the neuter form of the feminine tópă, with the plural topurĭ shared by both.^[5] Cunia gives top its own article only in the sense of a roll, and sends the other two top headings to the feminine topã.^[6]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Turkish top (“ball, round object; roll; cannon”).^[5][7] Polenaković gives the Turkish word with all the senses of the Aromanian one and lists the same loan in the neighbouring languages, among them Modern Greek τόπι (tópi) and Albanian top.^[5][7]

Romanian has it too: Ciorănescu derives Romanian top, a ream of paper or a bolt of cloth, from the Turkish word in the sense of a roll, and notes that the older Romanian word for a cannon has the same form and source.^[7] Megleno-Romanian top means a cannon, and Capidan also derives it from Turkish.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest dictionary record is Mihăileanu's of 1901, where the word means a ball or lump, as in aruca cu topuri di neao (he threw snowballs), and a sugarloaf: çinçi topuri de sicheru (five loaves of sugar).^[2]

Semantic evolution

The Turkish word named anything round, and Aromanian took over most of its uses: a ball to play with or a ball of snow, a sugarloaf, a cannon and its ball, and a bale.^[5] Papahagi records a ball, a sugarloaf and a roll, and quotes a line in which the plural means cannons.^[1] Cunia defines it as a roll of cloth, paper and the like, wound on a cylinder so that it can be kept and carried;^[6] in Metsovo it means both a cannon and a ball or roll of cloth.^[4] DIARO gives the lump of bread, topu di pâni.^[3]

Timeline

• 1901 – tópŭ “lump, ball; sugarloaf” in Mihăileanu's dictionary.^[2]
• 1963 – TOP “ball, sugarloaf, roll” in Papahagi's dictionary.^[1]
• 2007 – Polenaković derives it from Turkish top.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A ball or round lump, of snow, bread and the like.^[1][2][3][5]
2. A sugarloaf.^[1][2][5]
3. A roll or bolt of cloth, paper and the like.^[6][1][4]
4. A cannon; a cannonball.^[5][4]

Related words

• Romanian top

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Papahagi, Tache (1974), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, 2nd augmented ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. 1187
2. ^ a b c d e f Mihăileanu, Ștefan (1901), Dicționar macedo-român, București, p. 508
3. ^ a b c Caragiu Marioțeanu, Matilda et al. (1997), Dicționar aromân (macedo-vlah) DIARO, A–D, București, p. 272
4. ^ a b c d Δασούλας, Φώτης (2013), Το βλαχικό ιδίωμα του Μετσόβου, 2nd ed.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Поленаковиќ, Харалампие (2007), Турски елементи во ароманскиот јазик, Скопје, p. 183
6. ^ a b c Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 1020
7. ^ 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)
8. ^ Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 296