gavia

See also: Gavia

Latin

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

One theory, preferred by De Vaan, derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *gowh₂-i- (“shouter”), seemingly from either *geH- (“to sing, cry”) or *gewH- (“to call, cry out”), and adduces as cognates Sanskrit गु (gu, “to proclaim”), Ancient Greek γοάω (goáō, “to groan, weep”), Proto-Slavic *gȍvorъ (“grumble, talk”), and perhaps Old English ċīeġan (“to call”). He also mentions an alternative connection to gaius (“jaybird”), via an independent onomatopoeic root in Proto-Italic *gā̆-.^[1]

Another theory derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *gʰabʰl- (“fork, branch of tree”) (due to the similarity of a hawk's claws to a pitchfork), from *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”); compare Old High German gabila, gabala (“sparrow hawk”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaː.u̯i.a/, [ˈɡäːu̯iä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡa.vi.a/, [ˈɡäːviä]

Noun

gāvia f (genitive gāviae); first declension

1. common gull and seagull (any kind of gull, generically a kind of bird)

Usage notes

The identity of the gāvia in Classical Latin is uncertain, possibly the gull and the seagull. Modern taxonomic Latin applies the term Gavia to the loon (diver), but Classical Latin called this bird mergus.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	gāvia	gāviae
genitive	gāviae	gāviārum
dative	gāviae	gāviīs
accusative	gāviam	gāviās
ablative	gāviā	gāviīs
vocative	gāvia	gāviae

Descendants

• Catalan: gavina
• Galician: gaivota (“gull”), gueivota (“gull”), avión (“swallow”)
• Italian: gabbiano (“gull”), gavina (“common gull”)
• Maltese: gawwi (“gull”)
• Occitan: gabian (“gull”)
• Portuguese: gavião (“hawk”), gaivota (“gull”)
• Romanian: gaie (“kite”)
• Sicilian: gàipa (“common gull”), gaipazza (“yellow-legged gull”), gaipuni (“yellow-legged gull”)
• Spanish: gaviota (“gull”), gavilán (“sparrowhawk”)
• Translingual: Gavia (“loon, diver”)
• Tunisian Arabic: ڨاوية (gāwya, “seagull, black-headed gull”)

References

• “gavia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• gavia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “gā̆via”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 256

Spanish

Noun

gavia f (plural gavias)

1. (nautical) topsail

Further reading

• “gavia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10