From or related to Etruria (compare Tuscus). Probably related to Umbrian Turskum,[1] and Ancient Greek Τυρρηνός (Turrhēnós), Τυρσηνός (Tursēnós), from τύρρις (túrrhis, “tower”), τύρσις (túrsis),[1] itself of pre-Indo-European origin, in which case Τυρσηνός (Tursēnós) might be a native Etruscan word simply meaning "tower people" (as opposed to the Rasennae, see below). See Τυρσηνία.
Helmut Rix, based on the distinction made by Dionysius of Halicarnassus, assumed that Latin tusci, Umbrian Turskum (nomen), Ancient Greek Τυρσηνοί (Tursēnoí), derived from the original Etruscan name, while Rasna (from Etruscan 𐌓𐌀𐌔𐌍𐌀 (rasna), and whence Rasennae), like populus, originally designated the part of the population of Etruria which had political responsibility.[2]
Vladimir Georgiev[3] suggested that the word had the same root as Τρῶες (Trôes, “Trojans”) and Troy, but Philip Baldi notes that "though superficially attractive, these claims do not stand up to linguistic scrutiny, with the unexplained E and the spurious metathesis of r and the following vowel in Gk. Τυρσηνοί just two of the problems."[4]
In the past, other scholars have proposed that the term might be Celtic.[5]
Adrian Room compares other language isolate ethnonyms, such as Basque, hinted by the -sc- element found in Etruscus, Vascones, and older Latin forms ligusc* of Ancient Greek Λίγυς (Lígus); see Liguria.[6]
Etrūscus (feminine Etrūsca, neuter Etrūscum); first/second-declension adjective
First/second-declension adjective.
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | ||
nominative | Etrūscus | Etrūsca | Etrūscum | Etrūscī | Etrūscae | Etrūsca | |
genitive | Etrūscī | Etrūscae | Etrūscī | Etrūscōrum | Etrūscārum | Etrūscōrum | |
dative | Etrūscō | Etrūscae | Etrūscō | Etrūscīs | |||
accusative | Etrūscum | Etrūscam | Etrūscum | Etrūscōs | Etrūscās | Etrūsca | |
ablative | Etrūscō | Etrūscā | Etrūscō | Etrūscīs | |||
vocative | Etrūsce | Etrūsca | Etrūscum | Etrūscī | Etrūscae | Etrūsca |
Etrūscus m (genitive Etrūscī, feminine Etrūsca); second declension
First/second-declension adjective.
singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | masculine | feminine | ||
nominative | Etrūscus | Etrūsca | Etrūscī | Etrūscae | |
genitive | Etrūscī | Etrūscae | Etrūscōrum | Etrūscārum | |
dative | Etrūscō | Etrūscae | Etrūscīs | Etrūscīs | |
accusative | Etrūscum | Etrūscam | Etrūscōs | Etrūscās | |
ablative | Etrūscō | Etrūscā | Etrūscīs | Etrūscīs | |
vocative | Etrūsce | Etrūsca | Etrūscī | Etrūscae |