Re: Wuz

At 5:04:50 PM on Monday, October 8, 2007, tgpedersen wrote:

>>> http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/taalentongval/abstracts/Vaan2.pdf

>>> Seems there were several places called Waas (I don't
>>> think the 'Goth' connection holds).

>> No places named <Waas> are mentioned in the abstract.
>> Gueux (Marne) is in record as <Gothi> ~850;
>> Gouts (Landes) is <Goti> 10th c.;

> Is this Northern France?

I'd have to look; I gave the départements so that you could
find out for yourself if interested. <looks> No, it's in
the southwest:
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landes_%28d%C3%A9partement%29>.

>> Gouts-Rossignol (Dord.) is <Guz> 10th c., <Goz> 1100;

> This definitely isn't.

>> Montgueux (Aube) is <Montguor> 1152x80, from <Gothorum>,
>> and appears in Latin as <Gothi>.

>> Not much doubt about the Goths in these place-names.

> Are those all the Gueux and Montgueuex of your source and
> what is it?

A. Dauzat & Ch. Rostaing, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms
de lieux de la France (Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1963). If
memory serves, I omitted one or two that had no dated
citations.

> Other French relatives
> Le Waast, dép. P. d. C.

On the face of it clearly *not* a relative.

The original name, a derivative of the masculine personal
name <Wacho>, can be seen in the forms <Wachonevillare> 8th
c., <Vuachimvillare in pago Bononiensi> 954, and
<Wachunvillers> 954. This was subsequently replaced by
Latin <vastum>, OFr <gast> 'desolate, ravaged': <Wastum>
1107, <Guastum> 12th c., <Wast> 12th c.

Brian