proper noun · neutersecond declension
Nōricum
Nōricum n sg (genitive Nōricī)
Classical[ˈnoː.rɪ.kũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈnɔː.ri.kum]
Meaning
- A Celtic state and later Roman province, approximately corresponding to modern Austria.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Nōricum | — |
| genitive | Nōricī | — |
| dative | Nōricō | — |
| accusative | Nōricum | — |
| ablative | Nōricō | — |
| vocative | Nōricum | — |
| locative | Nōricī | — |
Nōrĭcum, i, n.,
I. a country lying between the Danube and the Alps, Tac. H. 1, 70.—Hence,
II. Nōrĭcus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Noricum, Norican:
ager, Caes. B. G. 1, 5: provincia, Tac. A. 2, 63: ferrum, Plin. 34, 14, 41, § 145; cf. Ov. M. 14, 712: ensis, Hor. Epod. 17, 71.—In plur. subst.: Nōrĭci, ōrum, m., the Noricans, Plin. 3, 24, 27, § 146.Origins
From Ancient Greek Νώρικον (Nṓrikon), from an unknown source predating the Celts' arrival. Said to be a Phrygian or Thracian word, but of unclear meaning. Robert Ellis (1855) supports a relation to Phrygian νώρικον (nṓrikon, “(wine)skin”), offering the hypothesis that the place derived from the hollowness of the river-valley. For semantic parallel, he cites Welsh cwm (“valley”), which derives from Proto-Indo-European *kumbʰo-, *kumbʰéh₂- (“vessel”).