Etymology and Meaning of Trafalgar
Sponsored Links
Etymology and Meaning of Trafalgar
Submitted by Khalid on Sat, 2004/09/18 - 19:17Cape Trafalgar is a point in the south west shore of the Iberian penninsula, north of Gibraltar. This is the place where the famous battle of Cape Trafalgar happened in October of 1805, and Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain, assuming supremacy of the seas for Britian for a century.
Various sources spell it as:
- الطرف الأغر al-Taraf al-Aghar
This is the contemporary translation in Arabic of Trafalgar, specially when Trafalgar Square is mentioned in the news. For example, this news article in the Arabic BBC. - طرف الغار Taraf al-Ghar
This could mean one of two different things, since 'Ghar' means two things in Arabic: 'Cape of the Cave', or 'Cape of Laurels'. - طرف الغرب Taraf al-Gharb
This means 'Cape of the West'.
Richard Burton, in his translation of the Arabian Nights, notes in the footnotes that the correct etymology is the last one (Cape of the West), and rebuts Captian Peel that it is the second (Cape of Laurels).
So, neither the current Spanish, English nor Arabic spelling is true to the original name.
»
طرف الغور Trafalgar
I had thought the name derived from:
طرف الغور
that is: Taraf al-Ghawr, in the sense of "Edge of the Deep" -- a fitting Andalusian name for the border of the forbidding Western Ocean.
Is it possible this could be the correct derivation?
Possible
It is possible from a linguistic point of view, but I have never seen a reference or source mention it that way.
trafalgar
bob marley sang of the educated fools. here we are, a case study. harvard references, citation, generic references apply in a system that is a paradigm in the western way. look for connections in eastern, middle-eastern (other) literature, songs, stories for the answer. trafalgar has phonemic as well syntaxic link with arabic words for direction, west, cave,cape as well as metaphorical implication of edge of the land. very littel doubt is left to the etymology of trafalgar.
looking for the origins of my last name
Hello Khaled, thank you for this post, my last name is Trafalchik, I found out that chik is Ukranian translation of Polish ending which has a few other variations, meaning "son of"
so I'm trying to find out what is the meaning of Trafal?
I have a better idea from what I read here,
would you have any suggestions or ideas?
I continue to do my search, would appreciate your input if you get a chance, there are very very few trafalchiks that I am aware of. I found 1 family in Ukraine, that's where my father comes from, and he and his father past away.
I'm pretty much the only Trafalchik to my knowledge in USA and Canada . . .
Post new comment