Sarria
LugoGalicia
Toponym of disputed origin. The main hypotheses derive it from the Latin personal name Sarrius + locative suffix, or from a pre-Roman hydronymic root sar- over the Sarria river crossing the town.
Evolution of the name
- Sarria (hidrónimo) pre-Roman / Latin before the 1st century BC
- Sarriam / Sarria medieval Latin 10th — 12th century
- Sarria Galician from the 13th century
Reflections, to the letter
Leaving Sarria you cross the river Sarria over the Ponte Aspera, and the answer to the town's name may be right there. Its origin is debated: one theory traces it to the Roman personal name Sarrius; the other to a pre-Roman root sar-, the kind that named running water long before it named people. If so, the town did not lend its name to the river: it took the name from it. Cross the bridge slowly and listen to the current; you may be hearing the oldest syllable in Sarria.
Glossary
- Anthroponym
- A personal name, often used as the base of toponyms (Lucronius → Logroño, Sigerici → Castrojeriz).
- Fundus
- A Roman rural estate with house, arable land and agricultural dependencies, usually named after the owner in the genitive (Sacaveni = "of Sacavus"). The origin of hundreds of peninsular toponyms.
- Hydronym
- A place name derived from the name of a river, lake or watercourse.
- Hydronymic
- Pertaining to hydronyms (place names from watercourses).
- 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
- Menéndez Pidal, R. — Toponimia prerrománica hispana
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Camino Francés