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Origin and history of Savoy

Savoy

region and former duchy south of Lake Geneva (now France, before 1860 part of the Kingdom of Sardinia), French Savoie, from Roman Sapaudia, which is of unknown origin. Related: Savoyard "native or inhabitant of Savoy," with French -ard (see -ard). By mid-18c. they were "well known in other countries as musicians itinerating with hurdy-gurdy and monkey" [OED].

also from 1860

Entries linking to Savoy

-ard

also -art, from Old French -ard, -art, from German -hard, -hart "hardy," forming the second element in many personal names, often used as an intensifier, but in Middle High German and Dutch used as a pejorative element in common nouns, and thus passing into Middle English in bastard, coward, blaffard ("one who stammers"), tailard "one who has a tail" (a term of abuse), etc.

It thus became a living element in English, as in buzzard, drunkard. The German element is from Proto-Germanic *-hart/*-hard "bold, hardy" (from PIE root *kar- "hard").

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    picayune
    piece; probably from Louisiana French picaillon "coin worth 5 cents," earlier the French name of an old copper coin of Savoy...
    avalanche
    and -v-, probably influenced by Old French avaler "to descend, go down," avalage "descent, waterfall, avalanche") from Savoy...
    Sardinia
    The historical Kingdom of Sardinia was formed in 1720 from the island and parts of Piedmont and Savoy; it became the nucleus...
    Huguenot
    The name was applied in 1520s to Genevan partisans opposed to the Duke of Savoy (who joined Geneva to the Swiss Confederation...
    Alemanni
    But on another theory perhaps meaning rather "foreign men" (compare Allobroges, name of a Celtic tribe in what is now Savoy...
    Italy
    from Latin Italia, from Greek Italia; of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of Oscan Viteliu "Italy," but meaning originally only the southwestern point of the peninsula. Traditionally said to be from Vitali, name of a tribe that settled in Calabria, whose name is perhaps some
    cabbage
    type of cultivated culinary vegetable that grows a rounded head of thick leaves, mid-15c., caboge, from Old North French caboche "head" (in dialect, "cabbage"), from Old French caboce "head," a diminutive from Latin caput "head" (from PIE root *kaput- "head"). Earlier in Middle E
    Saxon
    c. 1200, Sexun, Saxun, "member of a people or tribe formerly living in northern Germania who invaded and settled in Britain 5c.-6c.," from Late Latin Saxonem (nominative Saxo; also source of Old French saisoigne, French Saxon, Spanish Sajon, Italian Sassone), usually found in plu
    count
    late 14c., "to enumerate, assign numerals to successively and in order; repeat the numerals in order," also "to reckon among, include," from Old French conter "to count, add up," also "tell a story," from Latin computare "to count, sum up, reckon together," from com "with, togeth
    eminent
    early 15c., "standing or rising above other places; exceeding other things in quality or degree;" from Old French éminent "prominent" (13c.) or directly from Latin eminentem (nominative eminens) "standing out, projecting, prominent, high," figuratively "distinguished, distinctive

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