Hispania

Forms

Hispānia f sg (genitive Hispāniae); first declension^[1] Late and medieval spellings include ⟨Spania⟩, ⟨Ispania⟩, ⟨Yspania⟩ and ⟨Hyspania⟩.^[1][2]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[1][3][4] The traditional explanation, which Wiktionary reports, is from Phoenician *ʾyšpn (“island of the hyrax”), with elements matching Biblical Hebrew אִי (ʔī, “island”) and שָׁפָן (šap̄ā́n, “hyrax”): the Phoenicians would have taken the land's many rabbits for hyraxes.^[1] Some Roman authors knew this explanation, and it may explain the rabbits on some Roman coins of Hispania; later scholars have doubted it and proposed other Phoenician sources, such as *ʾy ṣpn (“island of the north”).^[1]

Georges and the Latin Wiktionary derive the name of the country from that of the people, the Hispānī,^[3][5] whose name Köbler takes to be probably Iberian.^[4] Etymonline reports Klein's view that both are perhaps Celtiberian, with an initial ⟨(H)i-⟩ said to be a definite article.^[6] Isidore of Seville writes that the land was first called Iberia after the river Iberus (the Ebro) and then Hispania after Hispalus.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source for it is Cato.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was the whole Iberian peninsula, Portugal included,^[8][9] divided into two Roman provinces: Hispānia citerior, the north-east (later Tarraconensis), and Hispānia ulterior, the south and west (later Lusitania and Baetica).^[8][3][10] Caesar names both;^[11][10] from Cicero on, the plural Hispāniae means the Spanish provinces together.^[3][11][10] Greek writers called the land Ancient Greek Ἰβηρία (Ibēría), whence the Latin Hiberia as well,^[3] and the glossaries give Greek Σπανία (Spanía).^[12] Isidore of Seville also calls it the true Hesperia, the western land.^[7]

Medieval writers kept it for Spain:^[2][13] Bede names it among the lands that face Britain across the sea.^[2] In Roger Bacon it is also a name for high-grade gold.^[2][4] In New Latin it is the country of Spain.^[1] It is the source of Spanish España, Italian Spagna and Old French Espaigne,^[1][10] and of English Spain through Late Latin Spania and Anglo-French.^[6]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses the name.^[4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar names Hispānia citerior and ulterior.^[11][10][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses the plural Hispāniae for the provinces.^[11][10][4]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville explains the name from Hispalus.^[7][4]
• 1st third of the 8th century AD – Bede names Hispania among the lands facing Britain.^[2][4]
• c. 1200 – English Spaine is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Proper noun

1. The Iberian Peninsula, comprising Spain and Portugal; the Roman provinces there.^[8][9][1]
2. Hispānia citerior: Nearer Spain, the north-east;^[8][3][10] Hispānia ulterior: Further Spain, the south and west.^[8][3][10]
3. (plural) Hispāniae: the Spanish provinces.^[8][3][11]
4. (Medieval Latin) Spain.^[2][13]
5. (Medieval Latin) High-grade gold.^[2][4]
6. (New Latin) The country of Spain.^[1]

Word family

• Hispānicus
• Hispāniēnsis

Related words

• Hispānus
• English Spain

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Victionarium (Latin Wiktionary), la.wiktionary.org
6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
8. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Simpson, D. P. (1959), Cassell's New Latin Dictionary, London: Cassell
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
12. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
13. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson