León
LeónCastilla y León
From the Latin Legio, referring to Legio VII Gemina, the Roman legion that founded the encampment in 74 AD. The popular etymology —the lion as heraldic animal— is a later reinterpretation, foreign to the origin.
Evolution of the name
- Legio (VII Gemina) Latin 1st — 5th century
- Legione late Latin 6th — 9th century
- Lión / León Romance Leonese 10th — 12th century
- León Castilian / Leonese from the 13th century
Reflections, to the letter
When you enter León, look at the city's coat of arms: a rampant lion. But the name doesn't come from the animal, it comes from the Latin legio: the Legio VII Gemina, the seventh “twin” Roman legion, stationed here from the 1st century to guard the gold mines of Las Médulas. The camp was called Legione —Latin ablative, “in the legion”—, which Romance eroded into Leone and on to León. When Castilian noticed the coincidence with leo, leonis (the animal in Latin), the misunderstanding stuck: medieval heraldry carved the beast onto the shield and the confusion became flesh. The city and the old kingdom carry on their name and their flag an animal they never had: a phonetic echo of the seventh legion.
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.
- Folk etymology
- Spontaneous reinterpretation of a toponym by speakers who no longer recognise its real origin, assigning it a transparent meaning in the current language. Santillana = "holy + flat" is folk etymology; the real origin is Sanctae Iulianae.
- Monophthongisation
- Reduction of a diphthong to a single vowel.
Sources
- García Marcos, V. — Las raíces romanas de León (León: Universidad de León, 2002)
- Estepa Díez, C. — El nacimiento de León y Castilla (Valladolid: Ámbito, 1985)
- Le Men Loyer, J. — Repertorio léxico del leonés actual (León: Diputación Provincial, 2002–2012, 5 vols.)
- Plinio el Viejo — Naturalis Historia, III, 28
- Corominas, J. & Pascual, J.A. — Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (Madrid: Gredos, 1980–1991, s.v. legión, león)
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Camino Francés