A Gudiña
La Gudiña
Ourense · OrenseGalicia
Disputed etymology. The most widespread hypothesis derives the toponym from Late Latin gutta ('drop') with the suffix -ina, in reference to the area's water sources; others propose a pre-Roman root gud-. The Galician article A (feminine) marks it as a proper noun.
A Gudiña is one of those Galician toponyms whose etymology remains unsettled. The Latinising hypothesis proposes gutta ('drop, water drop', also the root of Italian goccia and French goutte) with a locative suffix, alluding to the multiple water sources in the range surrounding the village. The pre-Roman hypothesis proposes a gud- root of opaque meaning, present in other northwestern toponyms without firm parallels. The Galician article A (feminine singular) is characteristic of Galician toponymy and reflects a conception of the place as a gendered nameable entity (parallel to A Coruña, A Mariña, A Estrada). On the Camino, A Gudiña is a critical point of the Camino Sanabrés —the Vía de la Plata variant via Ourense—: traditionally from here the pilgrim could choose between the northern variant via Verín (shorter, harder) or the southern variant via Laza (longer, less elevation). It is also one of the Camino villages that has seen the greatest population decline in the 20th century: in 1950 it had 4,500 inhabitants; today fewer than 1,300.
Evolution of the name
- Gudina medieval Galician from the 11th century
- A Gudiña / La Gudiña Galician / modern Castilian from the 15th century
Glossary
- Etymology
- The origin and history of a word and the phonetic and semantic changes it has undergone. An etymology may be confirmed, probable or disputed depending on documentary attestations and linguistic parallels.
- Locative suffix
- A Castilian ending marking "place of" or "workshop where X is worked": -ería (panadería, herrería), -ero/-era (barquera, Itero "place of the road"). From the Latin -arium.
Sources
- Cabeza Quiles, F. — Os nomes da terra
- Filgueira Valverde, X. — Toponimia gallega
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Vía de la Plata