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the entry on this name lists he first element as ON viskr "wise", but I can't find any such ON word - visk occurs only in the sense of wisp of straw, cognate with similar words throughout the Germanic languages referring to straws or bundles of straws/twigs (incl. English whisk). the word for "wise" is viss or vis- in compounds, so at best this is misanalysis and the c is part of the following element, (ch- for Germanic h- common in Latinised Germanic names in France.)
Further Wis- as a name element itself must be questioned - the older Indo-European element *h₁wésus which occurs in a number of Germanic names as Wisu-/Wisa- (but also in Illyrian Vescleves, Celtic Sigovesus, Bellovesus, and Celtiberian Vesucloti) seems to have been assimilated to the more familiar wise (manner, way, but feminine), wis (certain, wise) or wisi (leader, a back-formation from wisijan, instruct, lead). Similarly Batic Wisuwalds and Slavic Vsevolod seem to have been assimilated to the more familiar Visas and Vse "whole, all" from Proto-Balto-Slavic *wiśas, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)wíḱwos cognate with Sanskrit विश्व (viśva).
Further Wis- as a name element itself must be questioned - the older Indo-European element *h₁wésus which occurs in a number of Germanic names as Wisu-/Wisa- (but also in Illyrian Vescleves, Celtic Sigovesus, Bellovesus, and Celtiberian Vesucloti) seems to have been assimilated to the more familiar wise (manner, way, but feminine), wis (certain, wise) or wisi (leader, a back-formation from wisijan, instruct, lead). Similarly Batic Wisuwalds and Slavic Vsevolod seem to have been assimilated to the more familiar Visas and Vse "whole, all" from Proto-Balto-Slavic *wiśas, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)wíḱwos cognate with Sanskrit विश्व (viśva).
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Replies
This root is listed in Förstemann under VISC, though he doesn't provide a meaning and treats it dubiously.
Under the headword Wishart, the surname dictionaries by Reaney & Wilson and Hanks & Hodges list the root as VIZKR and VISKR respectively and give the meaning as "wise".
See also:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vizkr
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2003.02.0002:entry=vizkr
Under the headword Wishart, the surname dictionaries by Reaney & Wilson and Hanks & Hodges list the root as VIZKR and VISKR respectively and give the meaning as "wise".
See also:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vizkr
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2003.02.0002:entry=vizkr
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that sounds even more dubious then, since vizkr seems to be the normal form, and the normal rules of dithematic names would require the disyllabic fem. noun vizka/vizku- "wisdom, knowledge" before reduction of unaccented syllables, for which the alt, spelling is vitska, not viska. On the whole though Guiscard seems just a western variation of Guisard, and not Norse at all. I can't find VISC- in Forstemann, a different edition? He does list a Visichart, which would explain both Guiscard and Guisard, in which case the first element is probably Visi- "leader", not Vis- "wise" which being long would not require an extra syllable only to be elided later.
This message was edited 1/18/2021, 9:52 AM
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Interesting, but could you please re-explain or expand upon "would require the disyllabic fem. noun vizka/vizku- "wisdom, knowledge" before reduction of unaccented syllables, for which the alt, spelling is vitska, not viska"?
I've got a scan of the 1900 edition of Förstemann, with VISC on page 1625.
I've got a scan of the 1900 edition of Förstemann, with VISC on page 1625.
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ah, OK, I'm looking at the 1856.
Prior to the loss of unaccented syllables, monosyllabic protothemes gain an extra syllable (usually from the oblique cases) when the first syllable is short. When the first syllable is long, there will initially be a second syllable only if the nominative case or the usual compound form is disyllabic to start with. Wis- being long, will not have a second syllable in dithematic names. If there is a second syllable the theme must be a different root, Wisu- "good"; Wisi- "leader, guide"; or Wisa-/Wise- "way, manner". Similarly if we have a name Rasupert, the root will not be Ras- "number, counsel", which being long will not have second syllable in names, but an evolution of Raeswa- "counsellor, ruler" (attested onomastically in a runic inscription). Disyllabic themes may be reduced to single syllable by loss of the unaccented second syllable, which confuses things in some cases, but monosyllabic themes with a long vowel will not usually "gain" a second syllable.
Prior to the loss of unaccented syllables, monosyllabic protothemes gain an extra syllable (usually from the oblique cases) when the first syllable is short. When the first syllable is long, there will initially be a second syllable only if the nominative case or the usual compound form is disyllabic to start with. Wis- being long, will not have a second syllable in dithematic names. If there is a second syllable the theme must be a different root, Wisu- "good"; Wisi- "leader, guide"; or Wisa-/Wise- "way, manner". Similarly if we have a name Rasupert, the root will not be Ras- "number, counsel", which being long will not have second syllable in names, but an evolution of Raeswa- "counsellor, ruler" (attested onomastically in a runic inscription). Disyllabic themes may be reduced to single syllable by loss of the unaccented second syllable, which confuses things in some cases, but monosyllabic themes with a long vowel will not usually "gain" a second syllable.
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Thank you for explaining, very interesting!
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