/puˈt͡sin/
OrigineUncertain, as with a number of similar words across the Romance languages. Probably from Vulgar Latin *putīnus, a blend/alteration of Latin pisinnus, pittinnus and putillus, pusillus, all meaning “a teeny boy”. Compare Aromanian putsãn; further Albanian picërr, Italian piccino and piccolo, French petit and Occitan pitchoun, Old Logudorese pithinnu, Tarantino piččinnu.
An alternative, perhaps less likely, theory derives it from a Vulgar Latin root *paucīnus, from Latin paucus (“few, little”). Cf. Italian pochino (“a small amount”).
- masculine, neutera little (not much)
- masculine, neuterfew (not many)
- a little, few, a small amount
“Amicii mei înțeleg numai puțin românește.” — My friends understand only a little Romanian.
Formepuțină(feminine, singular) · puțini(masculine, plural) · puține(feminine, neuter, plural) · puțin(error-unrecognized-form, indefinite, masculine, neuter, singular) · puțină(error-unrecognized-form, feminine, indefinite, singular) · puțini(error-unrecognized-form, indefinite, masculine, plural) · puține(error-unrecognized-form, feminine, indefinite, neuter, plural) · puținul(definite, error-unrecognized-form, masculine, neuter, singular) · puțina(definite, error-unrecognized-form, feminine, singular) · puținii(definite, error-unrecognized-form, masculine, plural) · puținele(definite, error-unrecognized-form, feminine, neuter, plural) · puține(error-unrecognized-form, feminine, indefinite, singular) · puținului(definite, error-unrecognized-form, masculine, neuter, singular) · puținei(definite, error-unrecognized-form, feminine, singular) · puținilor(definite, error-unrecognized-form, masculine, plural) · puținelor(definite, error-unrecognized-form, feminine, neuter, plural)