From: stlatos
Message: 67964
Date: 2011-08-07
>The presence of * ermana- \ irmina- \ irmuna- and the names Herminones, Hermunduri \ Hermanduri (showing the same u\i\a alt.), make older Gmc * xermana- \ xirmina- \ xirmuna- likely ( < x() = h() , as most PIE words started w C not V), with * xermana- >> Germa:no- , possibly including the influence of folk etymology.
> W dniu 2011-08-05 15:37, Torsten pisze:
>
> > Although this etymon has been classed as "absurd",5
> > it has also found supporters among prominent scholars, e. g. Below,
> > Holtzmann, Laistner, Hartmann, Birt,6 Gudeman7 and Collinder.
> Just for the record, I, for one, take the Latin theory seriously and
> can't see what should be so "absurd" about it. My personal guess is that
> _Germa:nus_ is simply a Latin rendering of Germanic *swe:Baz, meaning
> roughly 'of the same ancestral stock'.