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