It is supposed to be a loan from Celtic
*geis(t)lo- or *ge:s(t)lo- 'hostage' (Irish giall, Welsh gwystl, etc.). I don't
know what external connections can be proposed. The only (vague) proposal I
can think of at the moment is *g^Hes- 'seize' (cf. *g^He(:)s-r
'hand').
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Patronymics; -sen, -ez / GISIL
Is there some etymology for *gisl-?
Germanic *gi:sulaz or
*gisulaz?