Visigoth
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin Visigothus, from Gothic. According to Mallory & Adams, possibly a tribal name derived from Proto-Germanic *wesuz (reflected in personal names such as Old High German *wisu), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wésus (“good, excellent”). If so, related to Proto-Celtic *wesus (found in personal names), the Italic goddess Vesuna, and Sanskrit वसु (vasu, “good, excellent”).
The term was coined by Cassiodorus under the misapprehension that it meant "west Goths".
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈvɪz.ɪ.ɡɒθ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈvɪz.ɪˌɡɑθ/
Noun
Visigoth (plural Visigoths)
- Any member of an ancient East Germanic tribe, one branch of the Goths (the Ostrogoths being the other), which participated in several wars with Rome and established a kingdom with Toulouse for its capital.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
member of an East Germanic tribe
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References
- Mallory & Adams (2006): The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World