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gunna

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word gunna

gunna1 fur garment

Confidence
Disputed
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
754, letters of Boniface
From
Proto-Slavic *guna
Ultimate origin
Proto-Slavic *guna

Pronunciation

  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈɡun.na][1]

Forms

gunna f (genitive gunnae); first declension[1] Also written gonna, gouna, gowna and guna;[2][3] a neuter gunnum is also found.[3]

Etymology

The origin of the word for a fur garment is uncertain.[4][5] Wiktionary derives it ultimately from Proto-Slavic *guna (“coarse fur garment”), probably through Byzantine Greek γούνα (goúna), unless the Greek word comes from the Latin.[1] The TLL refers to a Slavic explanation and reports Niedermann's view that scholars now agree it is not Celtic,[4] whereas Niermeyer labels it Celtic.[6] Köbler, following Walde and Hofmann, gives it a pre-Indo-European Alpine origin.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated records are in the correspondence of Boniface: in 754 a short gunna sewn in the English monks' manner is sent as a gift.[7][3] An undated poem of the Latin Anthology on a dwarf mocks him for being clothed in a garment of flea's hide,[4] and the Corpus Glossary explains it with Old English heden.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

It named a garment of fur or skins:[4][7][6] in 764 one made of otter skins was sent to Lull,[7][3] and the monks of Monte Cassino gave fur ones to their old men.[7][5] In the Medieval Latin of Britain it became a gown or robe worn over other clothes, often in wills and accounts.[3] The English word comes from Old French goune, which Etymonline relates to the Late Latin word.[5]

Timeline

  • 754 – A letter in the correspondence of Boniface mentions a short gunna.[7][3]
  • 764 – A gunna of otter skins is sent to Lull.[7][3]
  • c. 1300 – English gown is recorded.[5]
  • 1322 – A will leaves a scarlet gowna trimmed with fur.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin) A garment of fur or skins.[4][7][6][3]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A gown, a robe worn over other clothes.[3]

gunna2 gun

Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1346
From
Old Norse gunnr

Forms

gunna f (genitive gunnae); first declension[2] Also written gonna.[6][2]

Etymology

The word for a gun is of Germanic origin, perhaps from Old Norse gunnr (“battle”), according to Köbler, who compares Proto-Germanic *gunþjō (“battle”).[2] Etymonline derives the English word gun from a shortening of the woman's name Gunnhild, from Old Norse Gunnhildr, both of whose parts mean “war, battle”, or directly from the Norse word; it cites an Anglo-Latin munitions inventory of 1330 at Windsor Castle that calls a great engine “Domina Gunilda”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it to 1346, after Latham, meaning a gun or cannon.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1346 – First record, for a gun.[2]
  • mid-14th century – English gunne is recorded for an engine of war.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A gun, cannon.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Gunna.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/gunna. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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