Re: British Suffix -io

> Writing my diploma thesis on Latin place-names in Britain I came
> across the Celtic suffix -io.
> It is used as a derivational suffix and can either be added to
> adjectives
> (cf. the place-name of Coccio < brit.*cocco- 'red' + *-io, now
> Edgeworth, Lancashire)
> or
> to nouns (cf. the place-name of Gobannio < brit. *gobannia 'river

of

> the blacksmiths' + *io, now Abergavenny, Monmouthshire).
>
> Unfortunately, I could neither find out anything about the meaning
> nor about the origin of the suffix.
>
> I would be extremely grateful for any help or advice.

It is generally a relative suffix in Celtic, with a meaning
like "pertaining to, belonging to, he/she/it/they that (do/are
something)", and is even used as a patronymic in Gaulish, at least.
It comes from the PIE suffix -yo-.

- Chris Gwinn