English
Gascony
Gascony comes from Medieval Latin Gasconia, from Ancient Greek αἴξ ‘goat’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyǵ-‘goat’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*aíks‘goat’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἴξaíx‘goat’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΟὐάσκωνεςOuáskōnes
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEVascones
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEVasconia
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEWasconia
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Gasconia
- EnglishtodayGascony
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyǵ-‘goat’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*aíks‘goat’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἴξaíx‘goat’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΟὐάσκωνεςOuáskōnes
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEVascones
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEVasconia
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEWasconia
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Gasconia
- EnglishtodayGascony
Formed from Gascon + -y
The story
Borrowed from Medieval Latin Gasconia, from Vulgar Latin Wasconia, from Latin Vasconia, from Vascones + -ia, from Ancient Greek Οὐάσκωνες (Ouáskōnes) attested in Strabo's 1st-century Geographica, Book III, variously derived from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”) (literally “he-goat people”) or a variant of Ausci (perhaps related to Euskara). For sound changes: /w/ → /v/ occurred in the change from Latin to Proto-Romance, while /w/ → /g/ (in loan words starting with /w/) common in (non-Iberian) Romance languages, notably French; compare warranty and guarantee, William and Guillaume. By contrast, /v/ developed into /b/ and /β̞/ in Spanish and Gascon (Spanish Vasco, /ˈbasko/), hence the divergence.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- ‘goat’
through Ancient Greek αἴξ ‘goat’
Today it means
name A former duchy in the kingdom of France, covering southern Aquitaine.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- / Gascony