Reconstruction:Latin/gemellicum

This Latin entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Latin

Etymology

From gemell- +‎ -icum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡeˈmɛllɪku/

Noun

*gemellicus m (Proto-Romance)

1. twin

   Synonym: *gemellīcium

Reconstruction notes

A fragile reconstruction due to the limited distribution in Romance. The Sardinian and Iberian forms might well represent independent developments. Still, there are known cases of extreme lexical 'shrinkage' like colober and scīre.

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: gremeddicu, ameddigu, meddighe (Logudorese), ghermeddiche, cremeddicu, cremeddiche (Nuorese)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: xemelgu, ximielgu
  • Leonese: emielgo (13th c.), mielgo
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: [Term?]
    • Galician: xemelgo, ximelgo, gemelgo (reintegrationist)
    • Portuguese: gemelgo (northern)
  • Spanish: mielgo

References

• Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1985) “mellizo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), volume IV (Me–Re), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 31
• Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1911) “*gemĕllicus”, in Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), page 277