On 2007-03-20 23:09, Joao S. Lopes wrote:
> What's the origin of masculine a-ending names in Latin? IE?
>
> E.g.: Agrippa, Proca, agricola, Numa, etc.
I've always assumed a connection between <agricola> and the Slavic type
of OCS vojevoda 'army-leader' < *-wodH-ah2 (originally a possessive
compound, 'having the leadership of the army'?). Note also Slavic
(mostly, though not exclusively WSl.) names of occupations or functions
in *-Ica < *-ika: (like Pol. radca/rajca 'councillor', cf. <radzic'>
'advise', <rada> '[piece of] advice' or OCS uboica 'murderer', cf.
<ubiti> 'kill'), and Greek masculines in -te:-s (-ta:-). Some
occupational a-masculines (scri:ba, etc.) perhaps derive from
collectives reinterpreted as singulars (cf. OCS sluga 'servant' and in
particular Slavic nouns in *-i(z)na). Others look as if they were nomina
actionis converted into nomina agentis, especialy those like <perfuga>
'deserter' and possibly the "agricola/vojevoda" type (see above).
Piotr