Viadua is found in Ptolemy's list of
rivernames, and it's clear from the context that it refers to the easternmost of
the three channels or straits connecting the Bay of Szczecin (Ger. Grosses
Haff) to the sea, between the mainland and the island of Wolin. It is about
36 kilometres long and 100-1100 metres wide; its modern name is Dziwna (of
Slavic origin).
"Adora" is how many hydronymists interpret
the mediaeval spelling of the Oder (Polish Odra) in German sources: Odora/Odera.
To my mind this looks more like a German rendering of Slavicised *adura: or
*adra: (namely *odUra; the weak vowel *U may be parasitic). It seems related
both to Viadua an to other hydronyms like Adda (< Venetic Aduas, a tributary
of the Po), *adra: in Austria (--> Attersee, Adragave > Attergau), from
PIE *h2adu- 'water current'.
The PIE element *wi- means 'apart, asunder,
off', expressing division, separation or distribution, so *wi-adu-a: has a
natural interpretation as either 'river arm' or 'dividing channel'; both make
sense as applied to the Dziwna.
Latin has <duo> and <duae>, but
feminine "dua" is non-existent. Lat. ador 'spelt (wheat)' (< *h2ades-)
did not form adjectives like "adorus". <ado:reus> seems to
be the only possibility, and <ado:rea> doesn't quite fit formally,
apart from the fact that there is no plausible reason why the Oder should have
been named the Wheat Road in Roman times. In the local conditions, it was not
possible to produce an exportable surplus of wheat using Iron Age ards. I'm
afraid that <odra/*adra:> and <ado:rea> are mere
lookalikes.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 9:10 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Check out Origin of Ancient
Languages
Hello, you all,
I have come in the middle of your
discussion.... and I have not been
able to follow all the fibers of the
thread.
Just a few speculations about two words stated by X99:
I feel
sure, too, VIADUA and ADORA are Latin, though not available as
such in Latin
dictionaries.
ADORA [via adora] employs the adjective ADOREUS/-A < ador =
spelt,
the European type of wheat. So if Adora = Via Adorea, then: The Wheat
Road.
Certainly VIADUA is not a word formation like TRIVIUM, etc. This is
a
formation I find in Italian (from Latin):
Adjective ADUNCO < Aduncus
= ad uncus = in the manner of a hook [the
V shaped end of a branch-made
hook]. So, I would derive thus:
VIADUA = via ad dua [feminine because of
Via]= [non-existing but
feasible Italian: via a due; viaddua] = road in two;
paired road (two
parallel roads); [possibly:] two-lane street.
If you
know the context of the use of those words, please let me
know. The context
should show the plausibility of the interpretation.