Lombardy
/ˈlɒm.bər.di/noun
A region in northern Italy, centered on Milan.
Did you know?The region’s name preserves the memory of the Lombards, a Germanic people whose ethnonym was Latinized as Langobardi, likely meaning “long-beards,” a tribal label that survived into modern geography.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*langaz + *bardaz
““long” + “beard” (the likely elements behind the tribal name)”
Latin
Latin
Langobardi
“The Lombards; a Germanic people known to the Romans”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
Langobardia
“The land of the Lombards”
Old Italian
Italian
Lombardia
“Lombardy; the Lombard territory in northern Italy”
Modern English
English
Lombardy
“The northern Italian region”