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Peter Collier skrev: > This one's on a similar note to the recent discussion > about language and country names. > > I'm looking at town names, and wonder if any one can > answer this for me. Is there a widespread Romance > toponym meaning the same as the Germanic loanword > "-b(o)urg", i.e. castle/fortified place? > > I ask because I am trying to come up with some new > town names that share an etymology with the *real* > names, but without the Gmc element. > > The two I'm particularly keen on sorting out are > Strasbourg (<Strasse Burg) and Hapsburg (< Habichts > Burg) > > If not, any ideas what one could have been? Something > from Castellum perhaps? Or Fortis? I'd say castrum, or castra treated as a feminine singular or a neuter plural, are likely too. Cf. the many English town names in _-chester_ or _-cester_, even _Chester_ by itself! _Straßkester_ or _Straßekestre_, or even _Kestraße_ < *CASTRA STRATA /BP 8^)> -- Benct Philip Jonsson -- melroch atte melroch dotte se ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No man forgets his original trade: the rights of nations and of kings sink into questions of grammar, if grammarians discuss them. -Dr. Samuel Johnson (1707 - 1784)