Etruscus

Latin

Etymology

From or related to Etruria (which see). 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. (Compare the Etruscan autonym 𐌓𐌀𐌔𐌍𐌀 (rasna), whence Rasennae.)

Vladimir Georgiev[2] suggested that the word had the same root as Τρῶες (Trôes, “Trojans”) and Troy, but Philip Baldi argues 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."[3]

Other scholars have proposed that the term might be connected to the Turkish autonym Türk[4] or might be Celtic,[5] but these are both less plausible.

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /eˈtrus.kus/, [ɛˈtrʊs.kʊs]

Adjective

Etruscus (feminine Etrusca, neuter Etruscum); first/second declension

  1. of or pertaining to Etruria, Etruscan

Inflection

First/second declension.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative Etruscus Etrusca Etruscum Etruscī Etruscae Etrusca
Genitive Etruscī Etruscae Etruscī Etruscōrum Etruscārum Etruscōrum
Dative Etruscō Etruscae Etruscō Etruscīs Etruscīs Etruscīs
Accusative Etruscum Etruscam Etruscum Etruscōs Etruscās Etrusca
Ablative Etruscō Etruscā Etruscō Etruscīs Etruscīs Etruscīs
Vocative Etrusce Etrusca Etruscum Etruscī Etruscae Etrusca

Noun

Etruscus m (genitive Etruscī); second declension

  1. (usually in the plural) one of the people of Etruria, an Etruscan

Inflection

Second declension.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative Etruscus Etruscī
Genitive Etruscī Etruscōrum
Dative Etruscō Etruscīs
Accusative Etruscum Etruscōs
Ablative Etruscō Etruscīs
Vocative Etrusce Etruscī

References
  1. Giuliano Bonfante, ‎Larissa Bonfante, The Etruscan Language: An Introduction, Revised Editon (2002, →ISBN), page 51: In other languages, the Etruscans' name comes from a stem turs- (Latin Tuscus, from *Turs-cos, archaic Umbrian turskum (numen), later Umbrian tuscom (nome), Latin Etruria from *E-trus-ia (?), Greek Tyrs-enoi (from Greek tyrsis, Latin turris, 'tower')).
  2. In Introduction to the history of the Indo-European languages (1981). His suggestion is repeated by Nicholas Ostler in Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin.
  3. Baldi, The Foundations of Latin
  4. Mario Alinei, Gli Etruschi erano Turchi. Dalla scoperta delle affinità genetiche alle conferme linguistiche e culturali (Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 2013)
  5. John Fraser, The Etruscans: Were They Celts? (1879)

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