Gascony

English

Etymology

From Old French Gascoigne, from Medieval Latin Gasconia, from Vulgar Latin Wasconia, from Latin Vasconia, from Vascones + -ia, from Ancient Greek Οὐασκώνων (Ouaskṓnōn) attested in Strabo's 1st-century Geographica, Book III,[1] variously derived from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”) (literally “he-goat people”) or a variant of Ausci (perhaps related to Euskara). Cognate with Basque, Gascon, and Vascon. Equivalent to Gascon +‎ -y.

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.

Proper noun

Gascony

  1. (historical) A former duchy in the kingdom of France, covering southern Aquitaine.
  2. (historical) A former province of the kingdom of France.
  3. (informal) A region of France.
  4. (historical, sometimes proscribed) Synonym of Aquitaine, particularly under English rule.

Translations

References
  1. Larry Trask, The History of Basque Routledge: 1997 →ISBN
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