adânc

Adânc is a Romanian adjective meaning deep, profound, or large in depth. It describes physical depth, as in apă adâncă (deep water) or o groapă adâncă (a deep hole), and it is also used metaphorically to express depth of meaning, intensity, or significance, as in gândire adâncă or un secret adânc. The word can function as an adverb meaning deeply, for example when describing the manner of an action.

Inflectionally, adânc has the masculine singular form adânc, the feminine singular form adâncă, and the plural form adânci, which is used for both masculine and feminine plural. In neuter usage, the form follows the masculine in the singular and the plural form adânci in the plural, following Romanian adjective patterns.

Etymology of adânc is rooted in the core Romanian lexicon, with cognate forms appearing in related Romance languages. The precise historical origin within Proto-Romance or earlier substrata is not definitively established, but adânc has been a stable part of Romanian vocabulary for centuries and remains the standard term for depth in both physical and figurative senses.

In cultural and literary contexts, adânc frequently conveys psychological or existential depth, as in adânc sentiment or o înțelepciune adâncă. Related terms include profund, adâncime and profunditate, which are used to express depth in different nuances.