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

of or pertaining to Etruria, Etruscan

Inflection

First/second declension.

Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Number	Singular			Plural
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

(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

Related terms

tuscus

References

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')).
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.
Baldi, The Foundations of Latin
Mario Alinei, Gli Etruschi erano Turchi. Dalla scoperta delle affinità genetiche alle conferme linguistiche e culturali (Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 2013)
John Fraser, The Etruscans: Were They Celts? (1879)

[Bonfante-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)