Gascogne

French

Etymology

From Middle French and Old French Gascoigne, from Medieval Latin Gasconia, from Vulgar Latin Wasconia, from Latin Vasconia, from Vascones + -ia, from Ancient Greek Οὐασκώνων (Ouaskṓnōn), as used by Strabo in his 1st-century Geographica, Book III. Variously derived from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”) (literally “he-goat people”) or a variant of Ausci (from which Aquitan, Occitan, and perhaps related to Euskara). Cognate to Basque. Compare Gascon.

For sound changes: /v/ → /w/ occurred in the change from Latin to Proto-Romance, while /w/ → /g/ 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, under influence of Basque, hence the divergence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡas.kɔɲ/
• Rhymes: -ɔɲ

Proper noun

Gascogne f

1. Gascony (a former region in France)

Derived terms

• golfe de Gascogne

 

Related terms

• Gascon
• gascon

 

Descendants

• → Swedish: Gascogne