Parma
/ˈpɑːr.mə/noun
A city in northern Italy; also the name of a type of shield in ancient Rome.
Did you know?The Latin parma was the name for a small round shield used by light infantry and cavalry, and it survives today in the city name Parma, likely linked to an old pre-Latin place name.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Roman Italy
Pre-Latin
Parma
“Likely an ancient place name of uncertain origin”
Classical Latin
Latin
parma
“A small round shield”
Late Latin
Latin
parma
“A shield, especially a light one”
Modern Italian
Italian
Parma
“The city of Parma in Emilia-Romagna”
Modern English
English
Parma
“The Italian city name, and in historical contexts, the Roman shield”