Hispania

Traditionally thought to derive from a Phoenician/Punic name 𐤔𐤐‎𐤍‎ ‎𐤀𐤉‎‎‎ (ʾiy šapan) meaning "land of hyraxes" (cognate to Hebrew שָׁפָן‎ (shafan, “hyrax”)), supposedly applied because the Phoenicians thought the land's many rabbits resembled hyraxes. This theory had some currency among Roman authors,^[1] and may explain why Hispania is depicted with rabbits on some Roman coins. But later scholars have sometimes doubted this interpretation^[2] and proposed other possible Phoenician etyma, like ‎‎𐤑𐤐𐤍‎‎ ‎𐤀𐤉‎‎‎ (‘i ṣapun "(is)land to the north").^[3]

PronunciationEdit

(Classical) IPA^(key): /hisˈpaː.ni.a/, [hɪs̠ˈpäːniä]
(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /isˈpa.ni.a/, [isˈpäːniä]

Proper nounEdit

Hispānia f sg (genitive Hispāniae); first declension

Iberia; modern day Spain and Portugal
- 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri XXIX.1:
  Eadem aestate in Hispania coortum ingens bellum conciente Ilergete Indibili nulla alia de causa quam per admirationem Scipionis contemptu imperatorum aliorum orto: eum superesse unum ducem Romanis ceteris ab Hannibale interfectis.
  During this summer an extensive war broke out in Spain at the instigation of Indibilis, whose sole motive was his intense admiration for Scipio which made him think lightly of other commanders. The people looked upon him as the only general the Romans had left to them, all the others having been killed by Hannibal.
(New Latin) Spain (modern country)

DeclensionEdit

First-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Hispānia
Genitive	Hispāniae
Dative	Hispāniae
Accusative	Hispāniam
Ablative	Hispāniā
Vocative	Hispānia

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

→ Ancient Greek: Ἱσπανία (Hispanía), Σπᾱνῐ́ᾱ (Spāníā), Ἑσπᾱνῐ́ᾱ (Hespāníā)
- Greek: Ισπανία (Ispanía)
- → Old Georgian: სპანიაჲ (sṗaniay)
- ⇒ Georgian: ესპანეთი (esṗaneti)
→ Albanian: Spanjë, Spanja
Catalan: Espanya
→ Catalan: Hispània
→ Dutch: Spanje
→ Esperanto: Hispanio
→ German: Hispanien
→ German: Spanien
→ Ido: Hispania
Italian: Spagna
Occitan: Espanha
→ Old English: Ispania
Old French: Espaigne
- French: Espagne
- Norman: Espangne (Jersey)
- → Middle English: Spayne
  - English: Spain
→ Old Irish: Espáin
- Irish: An Spáinn
- Manx: Yn Spaainey
- Scottish Gaelic: An Spàinn
Old Galician-Portuguese: Espanna
- Fala: España
- Galician: España
- Portuguese: Espanha
Old Spanish: Espanna
- Spanish: España
  - → Arabic: إسبانيا‎
  - → Tagalog: Espanya
- Ladino: Espanya / איספאנײה‎
→ Polish: Hiszpania
→ Portuguese: Hispânia
Romanian: Spania
Romansch: Spagna
Sardinian: Ispagna
Sicilian: Spagna
→ Welsh: Sbaen

ReferencesEdit

^ Simón, M. A., editor (2012) Ten years conserving the Iberian lynx, Junta de Andalucía, Seville: Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Medio Ambiente, →ISBN, page 1950:
Hispania, the name that the Romans gave to the peninsular, derives from the Phoenician i-spn-ya, where the prefix i would translate as “coast”, “island” or “land”, ya as “region” and spn[,] in Hebrew saphan, as “rabbits” (in reality, hyraxes). The Romans, therefore, gave Hispania the meaning of“land abundant in rabbits”, a use adopted by Cicero, Cesar, Pliny the Elder and, in particular, Catulo, who referred to Hispania as the cuniculus peninsula.
^ Azevedo, Milton (2005) Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction, →ISBN, page 6. He calls the rabbit theory "a charming legend [...of] a Phoenician name, i-shepham-im or 'land of rabbits'".
^ Dietler, Michael; López-Ruiz, Carolina (2009) Colonial Encounters in Ancient Iberia, →ISBN:
Cunchillos 2000:224 [...] offers a new interpretation of the etymology of the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., Hispania, as derived from the Northwest Semitic word meaning “island/coast” ('i) and “north” (spn), therefore “northern island, island to the north,” or else “island of the metals (root spy/h, "beat metals", etc.). Both senses would fit well with geographic perceptions that the Iberian Peninsula might have triggered for the Phoenicians.

SwahiliEdit

Alternative formsEdit

Uhispania

PronunciationEdit

Audio (Kenya) (file)

Proper nounEdit

Hispania

Spain (a country in Europe)

Related termsEdit

Mhispania

[1] Simón, M. A., editor (2012) Ten years conserving the Iberian lynx, Junta de Andalucía, Seville: Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Medio Ambiente, →ISBN, page 1950:
Hispania, the name that the Romans gave to the peninsular, derives from the Phoenician i-spn-ya, where the prefix i would translate as “coast”, “island” or “land”, ya as “region” and spn[,] in Hebrew saphan, as “rabbits” (in reality, hyraxes). The Romans, therefore, gave Hispania the meaning of“land abundant in rabbits”, a use adopted by Cicero, Cesar, Pliny the Elder and, in particular, Catulo, who referred to Hispania as the cuniculus peninsula.

[2] Azevedo, Milton (2005) Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction, →ISBN, page 6. He calls the rabbit theory "a charming legend [...of] a Phoenician name, i-shepham-im or 'land of rabbits'".

[3] Dietler, Michael; López-Ruiz, Carolina (2009) Colonial Encounters in Ancient Iberia, →ISBN:
Cunchillos 2000:224 [...] offers a new interpretation of the etymology of the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., Hispania, as derived from the Northwest Semitic word meaning “island/coast” ('i) and “north” (spn), therefore “northern island, island to the north,” or else “island of the metals (root spy/h, "beat metals", etc.). Both senses would fit well with geographic perceptions that the Iberian Peninsula might have triggered for the Phoenicians.

[1]

[2]

[3]

Hispania

Contents

EnglishEdit

Proper nounEdit

TranslationsEdit

IdoEdit

EtymologyEdit

PronunciationEdit

Proper nounEdit

Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit

LatinEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

PronunciationEdit

Proper nounEdit

DeclensionEdit

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

ReferencesEdit

SwahiliEdit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

Proper nounEdit

Related termsEdit