Leiro
A Coruña · La CoruñaGalicia
Pre-Roman toponym of disputed etymology. The hypothesis with most support —Edelmiro Bascuas— derives it from a paleo-European base *lar- of hydronymic value ('floodable terrain, humid meadow'), also present in toponyms such as Leiroso, Leiroza and Larín. The hamlet sits in the meadow of the Tambre river.
Evolution of the name
- *lar-/leir- pre-Roman Paleo-European before the 3rd century BC
- Leiro medieval Galician from the 11th century
Reflections, to the letter
Hamlet of fifty inhabitants in the Tambre meadow. The rural chapel of San Xoán, modest 17th-century, preserves a popular altarpiece. The landscape of the descent to the Tambre is of meadows irrigated by medieval channels.
Glossary
- Alluvial meadow
- Geomorphological formation of Quaternary fluvial plains, deposited by the sedimentary activity of rivers during floods. Galician alluvial meadows, especially those of the Tambre, Ulla and Miño, present silty-textured soils of high agrarian fertility, traditionally dedicated to the cultivation of corn, potato and rye. They total some 80,000 hectares in the upper basin of the northwest Atlantic.
- Attested
- A form or word documented in writing in historical sources; opposed to "reconstructed" (forms proposed by comparative inference but not actually documented).
- 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.
- Hydronymic
- Pertaining to hydronyms (place names from watercourses).
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
If you have a correction or an observation about this information,
please write to us through the form at the foot of the site.
We will grow more precise thanks to your contribution.
Camino Inglés