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-ū
Phonemic Analysis:	/u̯erikū/
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 -ū as in Gallo-Greek (cf. Marinetti & Prosdocimi 1994: 44 f.), unless it reflects an actual diphthongisation of -ū to -ou̯; an orthographic compromise between the vernacular ending -ū and the Latinised ending -ō 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.