Iguvium

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Umbrian 𐌉𐌊𐌖𐌅𐌉𐌖𐌌 (ikuvium), of uncertain origin; possibly from *𐌐𐌉𐌊𐌖𐌅𐌉𐌖𐌌 (*pikuvium, “town of the woodpecker”), with loss of initial P, from 𐌐𐌄𐌉𐌊𐌀 (peika, “woodpecker”) << Proto-Italic *peikā << Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk-.

However, it could instead be from a pre-Etruscan, pre-Umbrian substrate (eastern Italic); compare Igilium.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /iːˈɡu.u̯i.um/, [iːˈɡuː̯iʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /iˈɡu.vi.um/, [iˈɡuːvium]

Proper noun

Īguvium n sg (genitive Īguviī or Īguvī); second declension

1. Gubbio (a city in Umbria)

   Synonym: (medieval) Eugubium

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter), with locative, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Īguvium
Genitive	Īguviī Īguvī1
Dative	Īguviō
Accusative	Īguvium
Ablative	Īguviō
Vocative	Īguvium
Locative	Īguviī

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Derived terms

• Īguvīnātes
• Īguvīnī

Descendants

• → English: Iguvium
• Italian: Gubbio

References

• “Iguvium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Iguvium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• DNGI: Dizionario dei nomi geografici italiani, TEA, Torino 1992.