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ArchivesVarronianus (and Varronius & Varro).
Hello everyone,
I am currently trying to find out the meaning of the Late Roman cognomen Varronianus. The father of Roman Emperor Jovian (4th century AD) bore this name, and Jovian later passed this name on to his first-born son (obviously in honour of this father).
Looking at the name, it seems like it must have been derived (etymologically) from what must have been Varronius. Varronius indeed seems to have been a legitimate Roman name, as Google yields results of archaelogical findings (inscriptions, mostly). I saw inscriptions for C. Varronius Priscus (between 90 AD and 125 AD), Titus Varronius (1st century AD), C. Varronius Polykleitos (time period unknown), and so on. Looking at these people's names, it seems that Varronius must have been a Roman nomen gentile - and probably a relatively rare one at that.
The Perseus Digital Library of Tufts University (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/) claims that Varronianus (and, therefore, Varronius must, too) is ultimately derived from Varro, another Roman name:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DVarro
The Varro name seems to be a cognomen, which is mostly found in the gens Terentia. A known bearer, for example, was Marcus Terentius Varro (1st century BC).
Now, I would like to know whether both Varronianus and Varronius do indeed ultimately derive from Varro - and if so, what the meaning of Varro is, then. Google yields only vague results, saying that Varro means "strong, sturdy, durable", but I am suspicious about that, since that does not remotely resemble Latin valens "strong" or valere "to be strong".
If anyone knows more about this, no matter how tiny the piece of information, I would definitely appreciate hearing about it. :) Thank you in advance for your input and your time! :D
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
I am currently trying to find out the meaning of the Late Roman cognomen Varronianus. The father of Roman Emperor Jovian (4th century AD) bore this name, and Jovian later passed this name on to his first-born son (obviously in honour of this father).
Looking at the name, it seems like it must have been derived (etymologically) from what must have been Varronius. Varronius indeed seems to have been a legitimate Roman name, as Google yields results of archaelogical findings (inscriptions, mostly). I saw inscriptions for C. Varronius Priscus (between 90 AD and 125 AD), Titus Varronius (1st century AD), C. Varronius Polykleitos (time period unknown), and so on. Looking at these people's names, it seems that Varronius must have been a Roman nomen gentile - and probably a relatively rare one at that.
The Perseus Digital Library of Tufts University (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/) claims that Varronianus (and, therefore, Varronius must, too) is ultimately derived from Varro, another Roman name:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DVarro
The Varro name seems to be a cognomen, which is mostly found in the gens Terentia. A known bearer, for example, was Marcus Terentius Varro (1st century BC).
Now, I would like to know whether both Varronianus and Varronius do indeed ultimately derive from Varro - and if so, what the meaning of Varro is, then. Google yields only vague results, saying that Varro means "strong, sturdy, durable", but I am suspicious about that, since that does not remotely resemble Latin valens "strong" or valere "to be strong".
If anyone knows more about this, no matter how tiny the piece of information, I would definitely appreciate hearing about it. :) Thank you in advance for your input and your time! :D
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
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Replies
My Latin dictionary has an entry:
Varronianus (adj) see Varro. (referring to the cognomen)
As you say, Varronianus would be a regular derivative of Varronius (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-anus) and Varronius looks to be a derivative of Varro (genitive Varronis).
As for the etymology of Varro, I don't have any information.
Varronianus (adj) see Varro. (referring to the cognomen)
As you say, Varronianus would be a regular derivative of Varronius (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-anus) and Varronius looks to be a derivative of Varro (genitive Varronis).
As for the etymology of Varro, I don't have any information.
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Thank you for your input, Mike! :) I'm glad to see that I was in the right direction. ;) It's a pity that there is little to no information available about the etymology of Varro for now, but I hold hope that I will eventually find out more about it... just have to come across that reliable source that actually tried to investigate the name. :)
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This site claims a Etruscan origin:
http://etruscans1.tripod.com/Language/EtruscanV.html
http://etruscans1.tripod.com/Language/EtruscanV.html
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