Gallia

Type Region, Political Subdivision & Country
Usage Ancient Roman, Italian, Greek
Scripts Γαλλία(Greek)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɡal.lja/(Italian)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Latin name for the historical region of Gaul. It is derived from the Latin ethnic word Gallus, referring to the Gauls (Celts of continental Europe), probably ultimately derived from the Celtic root *galn- "be able" [1].

In the Roman Empire this was the name of several provinces: Gallia Narbonensis, Gallia Cisalpina, Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Belgica and Gallia Aquitania. In Greek this is the name for the country of France.

Related Names

Rootgallus
Other Languages & CulturesGalatia(Ancient Greek) Galatia(English) Galatien, Gallien(German) Galácia(Portuguese) Galacia, Galia(Spanish) Galatya(Turkish)

Sources & References

  1. Matasović, Ranko. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic. Brill, 2009, page 149.
Entry added January 21, 2022