at(t)-

edit with form

Type:	lexical
Meaning:	unknown
Language:	Celtic
Phonemic analysis:	/at/- or /att/-
Attestation:	atai, atilonei, atios, atiss

Commentary

Numerous Continental Celtic personal names are formed with a base at- or att-, e.g. attus, at(t)o, atta, attius/-o/-a, atilo/-a, atilius/-a, atalo, atinus, atisso, attallos (see AcS I: 263–281, Untermann 1961: 4–7 and 1960: 289, Lochner von Hüttenbach 1989: 21–23, Meid 2005: 253 f., Delamarre 2007: 212 et passim). There are doubtless multiple etyma underlying these names; a candidate especially for forms with geminate /tt/ is the Lallwort atta 'foster father' (see DLG: 59), which exists in Celtic (OIr. aite, see LEIA: A-52 f., Stifter 2024: 7) as well as in neighbouring IE languages including Italic. Hypocorisms of compound names in ate- probably also play a part (Untermann 1961b: 144).

Corinna Salomon

Bibliography

AcS	Alfred Holder, Alt-celtischer Sprachschatz, Leipzig: Teubner 1896–1907.
Delamarre 2007	Xavier Delamarre, Noms de personnes celtiques dans l'épigraphie classique. Nomina Celtica Antiqua Selecta Inscriptionum, Paris: Errance 2007.
DLG	Xavier Delamarre, Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise. Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental, 2nd, revised edition, Paris: Errance 2003.