# Gascony

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈɡæskəni/ · frequency rank #93,724

## Definitions
1. A former duchy in the kingdom of France, covering southern Aquitaine.
2. A former province of the kingdom of France.
3. A region of France.
4. Synonym of Aquitaine, particularly under English rule.

## Etymology
From Old French Gascoigne, from Medieval Latin Gasconia, from Vulgar Latin Wasconia, from Latin Vasconia, from Vascones + -ia, from Ancient Greek Οὐασκώνων (Ouaskṓnōn) attested in Strabo's 1st-century Geographica, Book III, variously derived from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”) (literally “he-goat people”) or a variant of Ausci (perhaps related to Euskara). Cognate with Basque, Gascon, and Vascon. Equivalent to Gascon + -y.
For sound changes: /w/ → /v/ occurred in the change from Latin to Proto-Romance, while /w/ → /g/ (in loan words starting with /w/) common in (non-Iberian) Romance languages, notably French; compare warranty and guarantee, William and Guillaume. By contrast, /v/ developed into /b/ and /β̞/ in Spanish and Gascon (Spanish Vasco, /ˈbasko/), hence the divergence.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gascony