318 



Angls. viste, from root YIT, standing for vitda, vitta. Hence we must 

 consider the German word as formed by a suffix with a th, or d at the 

 beginning, most likely the suffix ti (thi, di) = Greek (n-f, ti-^, which 

 makes nouns of action. The verb to guess would be a denominative of 

 the substantive guess, for gues-t from the root GAT. The original mean- 

 ing, accordingly, would be, action of taking, catching. 



To return to the Irish word, all its significations could be very well 

 explained from the notion of catching, holding, binding — oath, custom, 

 incantation, all agree in this primary idea of holding fast. This being 

 so, we may consider it as descended from a root, otherwise lost in Cel- 

 tic, ged, with a suffix beginning with t, which letter suffers in Irish 

 similar changes as in the Teutonic languages when joined to a root end- 

 ing in a dental — cfr. 0. I.fiss, scientia, from rootEIT, PID. The s of 

 geas being kept between two vowels in old Irish points to an original 

 double s, as a single s is always lost in Irish in that position. The de- 

 clension of the word would make it an a or i base. Hence we may fairly 

 assume the existence of a Gaulish GESSA or GESSI, derived from a 

 root GED by suffix TA or TI. Dr. Siegfried has preferred the first 

 form, on account of its agreeing better with the [somewhat hypotheti- 

 cal] metre of the inscription. I should prefer the latter form, as it is 

 very doubtful whether a suffix fd — he would make it long and femi- 

 nine — is ever primarily added to roots. On the stone there is, after the 

 letters GES, room for two more which seem to have been obliterated. 

 Eilling this gap up, we get either GESSAVIM or GESSIVIM, i. e. 

 through an incantation. Some such gap must be assumed, since the 

 form GESVIM, as it stands, cannot be correct, because a simple s of the 

 Gaulish, as already stated, would have been lost in Irish. 



There remains the word danimavim, which of course must be an adjec- 

 tive qualifying gessavim, and standing, like it, in the instrumental. 

 The meaning is determined by the Irish dan, strenuous ; dana, bold ; 

 ddnaigim, I dare, defy [all these from O'K] ; ddnatu (Z. 20) audacia ; 

 cesu danatu dom, quamvis audacissime (Z. 994). Erom this root Zeuss 

 (994) and Gliick (Gallische Namen, p. 91, 92), have derived Danuvius, 

 Banuhius, on account of its strong current. The Sanscrit has a word 

 ddnu, to which the Hindu grammarians attribute the meaning of cou- 

 rageous (vihrdntd), and which is a name of the demons or Titans, the 

 enemies of the gods, more commonly occurring in the derivative form JDd- 

 nava, with which Dr. Siegfried thought it possible to connect the Greek 

 Aavao^, ^avarj^ i^avathaL, in spite of their first a being short, (in Aa- 

 vaihcu it is only lengthened through the necessities of the epic verse). 

 Be that as it may, we have an Irish adjective dan, strenuous. Of this 

 DANIMA is a superlative, The superlative is in old Irish commonly 

 formed in am ; but we have also forms in em (Z. 287), which point back 

 to an original i^na, imo; cfr. Oscan nesimom, nearest, and the old Irish 

 double termination imem. Hence danima means ^'boldest;" gess [««;] 

 im, danimauim, with boldest charm (or charms) [vid. supra). The 

 whole inscription translated runs, therefore : — 



