Zamarramala
SegoviaCastilla y León
Toponym of disputed etymology. The hypothesis with most support derives it from the Basque zamar ('sheep fleece, short curly wool', base of Castilian zamarra) plus a locative suffix -mala or -amala of uncertain filiation, probably pre-Roman. The toponym would originally name a sheep livestock fold, pastoral function that the hamlet maintained from the Middle Ages on the high Eresma pastures.
Zamar, a Basque word with old Aquitanian cognates, designates the short curly wool of sheep livestock, opposed to the long smooth wool of Merino breeds. The term passed to Castilian as zamarra ('coat garment of tanned lamb skin') and left numerous toponymic derivatives in the Northern Meseta: Zamarriello, Zamarrón, Zamarramala. The hamlet of Zamarramala, settled on the northern plateau of Segovia, was from the Middle Ages a pastoral setting dependent on the Segovian mitre.
Evolution of the name
- *zamar-amala pre-Roman Basque before the 10th century
- Zamarramala medieval Castilian from the 12th 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.
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
- Águedas Festival
- Traditional celebration of 5th February in honour of Saint Agatha of Catania (3rd-century martyr), instituted in Zamarramala by wheeled privilege of Alfonso VIII of Castile in 1227. The women of the locality assume for a full day all the council functions —mayoralty, judiciary, jury— as historical recognition of the decisive role of Zamarramalan women in the Christian taking of the Segovia alcazar. Declared Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2017.
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