uericou

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Attestation: AO·3 (ụerkọu) (1)
Status: uncertain
Language: Celtic
Word Type: proper noun
Semantic Field: personal name

Grammatical Categories: nom. sg. animate
Stem Class: on

Morphemic Analysis: u̯er-ik
Phonemic Analysis: /erikū/
Meaning: 'Uericou'

Commentary

See the inscription page on the reading options.

Final -⟨ou⟩ is most likely a Greek-influenced spelling for the on-stem nom. sg. ending as in Gallo-Greek (cf. Marinetti & Prosdocimi 1994: 44 f.), unless it reflects an actual diphthongisation of to -ou̯; an orthographic compromise between the vernacular ending and the Latinised ending may also be possible – cf. the coin legends NM·9 anatikou and NM·13 prikou for further discussion. The name, if the reading is correct, is a hypocorism derived with the suffix -ik- probably from a compound name with first element u̯er-, with excellent comparanda in Transalpine Gaulish: uericus, uerica, uericius (Delamarre 2007: 196); considering the irregular auslaut, a Latin etymology (from uerus 'true', cf. the cognomen uericus, Kajanto 1965: 111, 253) is less likely. Morandi 2004: 546 f. (no. 44) assumes a connection with Celtic u̯iro- 'man', without explanation of the change in the root vowel.

Corinna Salomon

Bibliography

Delamarre 2007 Xavier Delamarre, Noms de personnes celtiques dans l'épigraphie classique. Nomina Celtica Antiqua Selecta Inscriptionum, Paris: Errance 2007.