seg-

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Type: lexical
Meaning: 'strength, victory'
Language: Celtic
Phonemic analysis: /seg/-
From PIE: *seĝh-o- 'overpowering'
From Proto-Celtic: *sego- 'strength'
Attestation: sekenei, sekezos, seχeθu, uasekia

Commentary

Well attested both lexically in Insular Celtic (OIr. seg 'strength' [possibly from *seĝh-es-], MW hy 'brave'; Matasović 2009 s.v. sego-) and onomastically in Continental Celtic, as usually first element in compound and in simplex personal names (e.g., segodumnus, segolatius, segomarus, segorix, segellius, segestis, sega, segolia), ethnonyms (segouellauni), and toponyms (e.g., segobodium, segodunum) (AcS II: 1437–1459, KGP: 265 f., GPN: 110–112, 254–257, DLG: 269 f., Stüber 2005: 68, 97, Delamarre 2007: 231 et passim, Stüber et al. 2009: 267). From the PIE root seĝh- 'overpower' (LIV²: 115 f., NIL: 600–604). The meaning 'victory' of the onomastic element is assumed based on the comparison with Germ. sig- (Kroonen 2013 s.v. segiz-), which is equally common in personal names.

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.