naxom
| Attestation: | VB·3.1 (latumarui:sapsutai:pe:uinom:natom) (1) |
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| Status: | uncertain |
| Language: | Celtic |
| Word Type: | adjective |
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| Grammatical Categories: | nom., acc. sg. masc., neut. |
| Stem Class: | o |
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| Morphemic Analysis: | naks-om |
| Phonemic Analysis: | /naksom/ |
| Meaning: | 'Naxian' |
Commentary
See the inscription page on the uncertain reading.
The reading naxom with a Latin xenograph ⟨x⟩ plus an understroke to distinguish it from Lepontic 
was suggested already by Rhŷs 1913: 64 and again by Stifter 2011b: 175 f. (also 2024: 135) to salvage the interpretation of the form, traditionally read naśom, as 'Naxian' while avoiding the difficulties inherent in the irregular sound value of san. As observed by both authors, however, Latin X cannot incorporate the representation of the suffix -(i)i̯-, so that the form is implausible suffixless naksom. While Rhŷs merely calls the form "reduced", Stifter tentatively suggests that the understroke may in fact represent ligated iota, yielding the expected naks(i)i̯om, but see the inscription page on the nature of the mark in question.
