apuca

Possibly from metathesis of a Vulgar Latin aucupāre, from Latin aucupārī, present active infinitive of aucupor. Other theories suggest Latin occupāre, present active infinitive of occupō, with meaning influenced by or confused with the former. Compare Aromanian apuc.

• IPA^(key): /a.puˈka/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧pu‧ca
• Rhymes: -a

a apuca (third-person singular present apucă, past participle apucat) 1st conj.

1. (transitive) to grab, grip, grasp, seize
2. (reflexive, somewhat informal) to start, endeavour, begin to do something [with de]

   a se apuca de treabă ― to get to work

3. (catenative, rather informal) to get to do something
4. (transitive) to live to see something, either by living long enough or by being born early enough

   Copilul nu l-a apucat pe străbunicul său.

   The child didn’t get to meet his great-grandfather.

   • 2015 August 14, Daniel Cristea-Enache, “Adrian Păunescu, ieri și azi”, in Adevărul‎^[1], archived from the original on 2023/02/28:

     Nichita Stănescu nu a apucat Revoluția, spre deosebire de Adrian Păunescu […]

     Nichita Stănescu did not live to see the Revolution, unlike Adrian Păunescu […]

5. (transitive, now uncommon) to have a tradition be passed down
6. (transitive, of a point in time, informal) to catch someone unready

   a îl apuca seara ― to not be done by nightfall

   Pe constructori o să îi apuce iarna și tot nu o să fie gata.

   Winter will come and the builders still will not be ready.

7. (intransitive or transitive with placeholder o, now informal, less common) to head
8. (transitive, of a mental state or physical manifestation, informal) to come upon somebody

   a îl apuca plânsul ― to start crying

9. (transitive, of an out of line behaviour, informal) to come upon somebody

   a îl apuca pandaliile ― to throw a fit

   Te-a apucat să fluieri? Fă liniște!

   Did you suddenly think to whistle? Shut up!

   • 2003, Constantin Popescu, transl., Punct contrapunct‎^[2], Polirom, translation of Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley, published 2014, →ISBN, chapter 8:

     Ce l-a apucat să devină sentimental din pricina unui cuplu fericit?

     What’s come to him, for him to get sentimental because of a happy couple?

10. (reflexive, obsolete) to take it upon oneself
11. (transitive, obsolete) to usurp, take for oneself

• (grasp): prinde
• (begin): începe, se pune
• (get to do): ajunge
• (head): face, se îndrepta, o lua
• (live to see): prinde
• (come upon): (of feelings) lua, (of an odd behaviour) îi veni
• (take upon oneself): se (angaja), făgădui, se obliga, (regional) se lega
• (usurp): prădui, uzurpa

• apucare
• apucat
• apucătură
• pe apucate

• prinde
• începe

• apuca in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)