| Date: | Mon, 24 Nov 2003 |
| From: | |
| Subject: | The Basque yew (and some otters and some springs) |
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Dear Luisma,
A few examples of (h)agin, the Basque word for
"yew", in toponyms around Europe.
Acinippo (Ronda La Vieja).
Aginnum (Agen)
Aiguines, Var, which is
recorded as Aguina or Aquina in 1021.
Then there is the river Glendermackin, Cumbria,
on the north side of the Skiddaw massif.
This was Glenermakan in 1278.
Now, Glender- is a later, probably Iron Age,
addition, meaning "river valley", and is Celtic, not
Dene-Caucasian.
-makan, or -makin seems
to me to be the word for "yew" prefixed with the
fossilised noun-classifier for plants, *m-. This is used in the
Basque toponym, Magona, cited by Aulestia, with the same
meaning.
Near the Glendermackin is the Glenderaterra.
This was Glenderterray in 1729 and Glendoweratera in
1789.
Here we seem to have a cognate of Basque i-turri "fountain,
spring".
Not too far away from these is the village of Dacre.
This was originally a river name, recorded as Dacore
in 730.
The name seems to refer to a stream frequented by otters.
Consider Basque zakur "dog" (earlier *takur/dakur).
And yes, just a few miles from Dacre is the River
Lowther.
This was Lauther in 1160.
The meaning seems to be "four, ie, many springs"
(in Basque the name would be lau iturri). And the Lowther
valley abounds in natural springs.
With best wishes,
Angus J Huck
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