semantic shift

From: alex_lycos
Message: 20466
Date: 2003-03-28

I got a problem regarding a big semantic shift ( in my opinion).

In every language should exist the word "even". In Romanian , it happens
this word is the word "chiar".
Seeing the word one will make immediately the connection with the
Italian "chiaro" and will say this is one and the same word, a
derivative of Latin "clarus".I must mention that in Rom. Lang there is
no compound with this word. Nothing. There is no family, no derivative
of this word. The meaning of the word is given as follow:

chiar= adv even; just; (chiar acum) just now, (chiar asa) just like
that; (chiar daca) even if; (chiar el) he himself

DEX means, an ancient meaning should have been "clar"= clear. I don't
know where this "ancient meaning" of "clear" was found in the Romanian
texts. Anyhow, if he word "clarus" should be a borrowed one from Latin
"clarus " then, being inherited, should not remain "clarus" but it
should be exactly the word with the form "chiar". DEX gives the
etymology as being from Latin "clarus" or French "clair". I doubt about
an loan from French since the pronunciation will be not "klar" as
actually in Rom. Lang the pronunciation is but; if we take just the
pronounciation as guiding point , then it should be a loan via German. I
tried to get an explanation why the Latin "clarus" which in Italian is
represented trough the word "chiaro" which has the senses of the Latin
word should become in Romanian the word with the meaning "even".
The question is:
Is anyone right if this one go so far to say Latin 'clarus' ( "clear" )
will become a word with the meaning "even"?
To me it seems to be just false friend with Italian "chiaro" and just
the phonological aspect of the word was -almost as usual- the basis for
considering this is the Latin word "claro". What do you think about this
semantic shift then?

Alex