Re: venetic, -a, -i, -e

From: tolgs001
Message: 16264
Date: 2002-10-15

--- In cybalist@..., alexmoeller@... wrote:

>just for info:
>in rom. venetic cf DEX
>I) a person who doesnt belong to your race, to your nation, a
>person who came from somewhere else and considered to be a
>foreign in the place where s/he settled. - no etymology

I strongly doubt that the the entry "DEX" dictionary contains
the entry as you've "translated" it, although I myself do
not possess the DEX edition (but I do possess the previous
one of the Romanian dictionary). The addition "race" and
"nation" must be your own contribution.

The real meaning of the word is merely "someone who has come from
another region, and who is considered a stranger". The term is
slightly or strongly pejorative, according to the context.
Although the authors of the dictionary preferred not to put any
etymology (thus showing scientific cautiousness), to any Romanian
native-speaker there is a link, which could be the real
one, to the verb "to come", "a veni, venire", whose past
participle reads "venit": "s/he who has come" = "(cel/cea
care a) venit". After all, that's the basic meaning of the
term, "having come from other regions to your region"
(usually to your village, town, city, perhaps also to your
county). The native-speaker won't use "venetic,-a"
when referring to a foreigner; in this case "strain" would
be the appropriate term.

So, even if the word had a certain etymology, the initial
meaning has been lost forever. It's a fact that the average
native-speaker will try (if s/he bothers) to establish a
'popular etymology', by ascribing "venetic" to the verb.

>II) old venetian gold coin etymology: from neogreek
>"venetikos" and turkish "venedik"

For this one, no wonder, since it was a... Venetian coin.

>I find very intersting I.
>I guess it must be a historicaly explanation, something, an
>event which happened and because of this event it remained in
>the memory of the folk.

Only if there'd be a a link to Venetia or to that Venetian
coin. But AFAIK there is none. (If there'd had been one, then
the authors of these dictionaries would have mention it.)

George