Re: [tied] Re: euskara Irun "France", Donostia "Spain" - why?

On Thu, 05 Sep 2002 10:14:31 -0000, "m_iacomi" <m_iacomi@...> wrote:

> João Simões Lopes Filho <jodan99@...> wrote:
>
>> What´s the origin of euskaran words IRUN for France, and DONOSTIA
>> for Spain ?
>
> AFAIK, Irun & Donostia (=San Sebastián in Spanish) are two cities
>in the Spanish Basque region. Word for Spain in Euskara is "Espainia"
>and France is called just "Frantzia".
> Irun means "to spin", "to wave".
> I'm not aware of any special meaning of Donostia other than being
>the name of the above-mentioned city.

I was going to say the same thing. Irun is almost on the French border, so from
San Sebastián, direction Irun is direction France.

The verb <irun> means "to spin, to weave", but the town's name (cf. Iruinea =
Pamplona) is I think rather connected with the word <hiri> "town" (perhaps <hiri
on> -> <irun> "good town"). Donosti is from done "Saint" (Lat. domine) and Osti
"Sebastian" (IIRC: sevastiane > seuastiae > soastie > sosti > osti).

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...