I've been struggling with the Ravenna's form for the river Test 'Traxula' and how it might have become an OE Terste. I'm inclined to be fairly trusting of the form.
It looks like a Latin diminutive, which is impossible according to PNRB.
But, what if there was a more significant river of the same name nearby, say the Hampshire Avon? The Romans might have differentiated between the two, and at the source of the river Anton (the major tributary of the Test) is Thruxton SU2945 'Turkilleston' 1086. There are other place-names scattered about explained as being based on the OE personal name Thurkill.
The area around the Test and the Avon was populated by the Durotrages (commonly called the Durotriges, but contrary to the epigraphically attested form.) If these people tooke their name from their earliest primary settlement, would they not be the people of the Duro of the Trag- 'mouth of the Trag-", i.e. Hengistbury Head?
Tacitus in Agricola records a very similar Trucculensem Portum (acc.) var. Trutulensem Portum, interpreted as based on L 'truculentus 'savage, fierce' or a river-name 'Truccula'. This, if not the same river Traxula, can be explained by way of L. trux where an open-top 'a' is read for 'u'.
I've looked at explaining it as an analogical reformation. I've looked through Bosworth-Toller and Gerhard Koebler's site looking for a bridge-word suitable for a river-name. I find dryst-ig 'thirsty', teagor 'tears', teorum ' tar', taer 'cleft', torhte 'bright', treg 'trough' and their related forms. Nothing seems obvious, but I'm more palaeographer than anything else, certainly not a linguist.
Any thoughts?
Would a traxt- work better?
--
Tom Ikins
The Roman Map of Britain
http://www.romanmap.com
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