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Re: Argote (Germanic) and Medlilla (Spanish/Arabic?)
in reply to a message by Lea
For Argote/a I would say: *harja, army, + *gauta, Goth. The second element could also be *gaiðo, spear.
I don't have any specific reference for the name Argote/a, I'm just comparing it to the Ostrogothic name Arghaitus and the Lombard names Arigauso, Aricaus, Arcausulo, Argait.The etymology of the toponym Melilla is uncertain. The Arabic name of the town was Mlilia. It could came from the Berber root "Tamlilt", meaning "the white one", referring to the white rocks near the city. The successive arabization turned it into "Mliliat". It was then castilianized into Melilla.
As a personal name, it could be some kind of distortion of Mectildis (Mathilda).Where did you find these names?
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I found Argote in Frankish genealogies, and Medlilla in Judeo-Spanish documents, as a personal first name.Thanks for your answer!
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