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From: mcv@inter.NL.net (Miguel Carrasquer)
Subject: Re: French Battleship Name Query
Message-ID: <CxyAHv.5nD@inter.NL.net>
Organization: NLnet
References: <1994Oct20.125041.34457@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 02:49:07 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <1994Oct20.125041.34457@waikato.ac.nz>,
Matt Melchert <matt@waikato.ac.nz> wrote:
>Once, while perusing an encyclopedia of battleships from the 1860's to the
>present day, I came across a French battleship from the early 1890's which
>was christened "Jeurreguiberry".  (Not sure about the exact spelling, but
>it was something like that.)  It was a bizarre-looking ship,as French warships
>from that time frame tended to be, but the name struck me as even more 
>bizarre.  Does anyone know where this name came from?  Is it a geographical
>region?  Name of a historical figure?   Psychological trait?  Any clues
>welcome.
>
>Curious Matt

It's a Basque name, probably of some French admiral from North Euskadi 
(Biarritz, St. Jean-de-Luz and thereabouts).
The name means "new palace" (jauregi=palace, from "jaun", `Lord' and "-egi"
`place', and "berri" `new'), which is a deluxe version of the more common
Basque surname "Etxeberri" (Echevarri'a, Etchaverry, Chavierre, Xavier),
"new house" (cf. Casanova, Nijenhuis, Esterha'zy).

-- 
Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
Amsterdam                [                  ||]~  
mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig 
