#Romanian folklore

• Deal-sealing drink — A traditional Romanian custom consisting of offering a treat (usually drink or food) by the buyer to the seller and witnesses, to seal and celebrate the conclusion of a commercial transaction (especially the sale of animals or land); the drink offered on this occasion. This structural ritual holds a symbolic value of socially confirming the deal, marking the binding nature of the unwritten contract.
• Little imp — A popular, euphemistic, and humorous name assigned to the devil or a smaller demon, an imp; it represents a character frequently found in Romanian folktales and anecdotes, characterized rather by minor cunning, mischief, and naivety than by absolute malice; by extension, it applies to a restless, mischievous, quick, and very intelligent child.
• Agică — A regional, archaic, or folk term used in certain rural areas or traditional communities to designate an older aunt, a respected grandmother, or a family matriarch invested with moral authority. In a broader, colloquial sense, the word can describe a wise woman, a wet nurse, or an elderly community counselor who preserves local traditions.
• Alas — An old or regional interjection used in the past in rural areas to express an intense feeling of wonder, astonishment, admiration, or, in certain lyrical contexts, a cry of nostalgia, grief, or calling within folk songs. This phonetic structure served as an oral marker of deep emotional states, frequently encountered in archaic epic poetry and traditional outlaw chants.
• Yodel — To utter long, melodious cries specific to the traditional mountain chants; to yodel or sing in a prolonged manner with distinct vocal inflections, used either for long-distance communication or to express intense emotions in traditional folk music.
• Ho there — A traditional interjection used as a ritualistic opening and rhythmic formula in the Plugușor, a Romanian New Year's carol. This onomatopoeic phonetic structure, usually repeated as 'aho, aho', mimics the shouting used to urge oxen while plowing and structurally serves to capture the hosts' attention, marking the pauses between the stanzas of the folk greeting.
• Half-measure — A traditional unit of capacity or weight used in the past in rural communities, usually representing half of a standard unit of measurement (such as half an oca, half a vadra, or half a baniță); by extension, the amount of products (grains, wine, milk) contained within this vessel. The term reflects archaic economic structures and local methods of dividing goods during trade or tax collection.
• Female faster — A woman who fasts (completely or restrictively) on the eve of a major holiday; by extension, as an adjective, it describes a female person or a community of women who strictly observe the rules of spiritual purification through abstinence from food. In old rural traditions, certain elderly women were considered ritualistic fasters, praying and fasting for the well-being of the entire community or for the healing of the sick.
• Helpfulness — An inner state or disposition oriented towards granting a benevolent support, a moral backing, or a practical assistance of a philanthropic nature; the pious desire for human mutual aid manifested within the old Romanian rural communities. In a documentary sense, the word describes a formal act or an assumed attitude of organic solidarity through which a person undertook to partially or totally take over the burden of a difficult task pressing upon a fellow human in suffering or financial impasse.
• Counting-out rhyme word — A rhythmic formula, rhymed interjection, or word completely lacking independent lexical meaning structurally utilized as a counting-out incantation in traditional Romanian children's games (e.g., 'Ala-bala, portocala'); by extension, a colloquial feminine noun (or noun phrase) used pejoratively to describe an unnecessary discussion, a string of unserious arguments, empty talk, trifles, or a chaotic action lacking logical rigor and substance.
• Little lemon balm — A popular diminutive for alămăie; an affective term used in rural areas to denote a small lemon or a freshly sprouted lemon balm plant. In traditional lyric poetry and incantations, the word is used metaphorically to describe a fresh scent, an intense yellow color, or a loved one with a refreshing and bright presence.
• Little lemon balm — Obsolete spelling variant (using internal 'î' according to pre-1993 orthographic rules) for 'alămâioară'; a popular and affective diminutive used in rural areas to denote a small lemon or the aromatic medicinal plant called lemon balm or melissa (Melissa officinalis). In the lyrical creations of traditional folklore, the word was employed as a chromatic or olfactory metaphor to suggest freshness, serene youth, or a delicate paleness of the face.
• Folk musician — A folk musician from Romania and the Republic of Moldova who performs traditional music (party, wedding, mourning music) within traditional troupes (taraf), usually playing the lute, violin, cimbalom, cobza, or accordion. In a historical sense, the lăutari formed special guilds passed down from generation to generation, being the core keepers of the oral musical folklore heritage.
• Young folk musician — An archaic, popular, or hypocoristic diminutive for alăutar; a young musician who plays the lute, or an apprentice fiddler who accompanies a traditional band to learn the craft of instrumental performance. In traditional lyric poetry, the term is used with an affective or poetic value to describe a discrete performer of love songs.
• Young female folk musician — An extremely rare, archaic, or regional feminine form for 'alăutaș'; a young woman or girl who performs traditional tunes on the lute, or a female apprentice within a traditional folk band. In vintage folklore and literary contexts, the term added a poetic and affective connotation, describing a female presence providing musical accompaniment at intimate gatherings.
• Young folk musician — An extremely rare, archaic, or regional masculine diminutive formed from the noun alăută (lute), used expressively to denote a small plucked string instrument or to refer, in a hypocoristic way, to a young apprentice or child learning the craft of folk music within a traditional band.
• Little lute — A popular and affective diminutive for alăută; a poetic or regional term used in the past to denote a small lute or a cobza with delicate strings. In the lyrical creations of traditional folklore (ballads, folk laments), the word is employed as a metaphor to suggest the sweetness of the sound, the sensitivity of the performer, or the state of longing of the one singing his suffering in a discrete manner.
• Little cornflower — A popular, regional, or affective diminutive for 'albăstrea' or 'albăstriță'; a term used in certain rural communities to denote the small, intense azure flower found in wheat fields (Centaurea cyanus) or dwarf species of violets and bluebells. In traditional lyric poetry, the word carries a strong hypocoristic value, suggesting the fragility and discrete beauty of spontaneous flora.
• Little bee — An affective diminutive for albină; a small-sized bee; a term used in folk language, fairy tales, poems, or riddles to personify the honeybee with gentleness and sympathy.
• Cornflowers — An old popular or regional name used in the plural for light-colored, whitish, or pale field flowers, or an isolated regional contamination for the plant known as cornflowers.