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I'm finding some conflicting name meanings for Petronius / Petronella. I was wondering if anyone had any more reliable info on this one.
BtN lists the possible meaning as 'yokel'
I've found the meaning 'hardened countryman' (through Etruscan 'petro'), which I suppose could be 'yokel'.
I've also found 'young ram' for it, as well as 'mountain goat' (though Latin 'petro')
Also 'rock-' or 'mountain-' as an adjective (through Latin 'petra')
I'm wondering as well what the reason is 'yokel' is listed here, bc from what I can find, the other 2 meanings seem equally plausible.
BtN lists the possible meaning as 'yokel'
I've found the meaning 'hardened countryman' (through Etruscan 'petro'), which I suppose could be 'yokel'.
I've also found 'young ram' for it, as well as 'mountain goat' (though Latin 'petro')
Also 'rock-' or 'mountain-' as an adjective (through Latin 'petra')
I'm wondering as well what the reason is 'yokel' is listed here, bc from what I can find, the other 2 meanings seem equally plausible.
This message was edited 12/11/2020, 3:12 AM
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Replies
The nomen Petronius appears to be a patronymic surname derived from the Oscan praenomen Petro or Petrus, the Oscan equivalent of the Latin Quartus, fourth, and making Petronius cognate with a number of obscure Latin gentilicia, such as Quartius and Quartinius.
[The Numeral Praenomina of the Romans
Hans Petersen
Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association
Vol. 93 (1962), pp. 347-354 (8 pages)
Published By: The Johns Hopkins University Press]
An alternative derivation would be from the cognomen Petrus, a rustic, although this may also derive from the Oscan praenomen. Petronius belongs to a large class of gentilicia derived from other names ending in -o, most of which are plebeian.[The Origin of Roman Praenomina Author(s): George Davis Chase Source: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 1897, Vol. 8 (1897), pp. 103-184 Published by: Department of the Classics, Harvard University]
[The Numeral Praenomina of the Romans
Hans Petersen
Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association
Vol. 93 (1962), pp. 347-354 (8 pages)
Published By: The Johns Hopkins University Press]
An alternative derivation would be from the cognomen Petrus, a rustic, although this may also derive from the Oscan praenomen. Petronius belongs to a large class of gentilicia derived from other names ending in -o, most of which are plebeian.[The Origin of Roman Praenomina Author(s): George Davis Chase Source: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 1897, Vol. 8 (1897), pp. 103-184 Published by: Department of the Classics, Harvard University]
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