ANTHROPONYMS DERIVED FROM PLANT AND ANIMAL NAMES IN THE WORK OF VASILE ALECSANDRI

Abstract

In this article, we will analyze, from an etymological and semantic point of view, the anthroponyms in Vasile Alecsandri's work that come from animal and plant names. The words analyzed will be grouped in the form of a dictionary. Drawing on Romanian and Greek lexicographic sources, we show how such names originate in appelations linked to physical traits, behavior, ethnicity, or social roles, and how they evolve into family names or humorous nicknames. The analysis is organized as a micro-dictionary and highlights the symbolic and comic value of these names in shaping local character types and reflecting nineteenth-century society. The findings point to Alecsandri’s creative onomastic imagination and the cultural meanings of such nature-based personal names and identities.