Where does “Galicia” come from?
Galicia (Galician) comes from Medieval Latin Gallicia, from Latin Gallaecia, from Latin Gallaeci, from Proto-Celtic kallī, from Proto-Indo-European kelh₂- — to beat; to break.
Ancestry of “Galicia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | Gallicia | — |
| 2 | Latin | Gallaecia | — |
| 3 | Latin | Gallaeci | a tribe in the region; a Celtic tribe in the... |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | kallī | grove, forest |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kelh₂- | to beat; to break |