Bavaria

Meaning

Proper Noun

• (historical) region Central Europe (region).
• The kingdom of Bavaria.
• One of the component states of Germany according to the current administrative division of the nation, which includes the historical Bavaria and parts of Swabia and Franconia.

Origin

• From New Latin Bavaria, from Medieval Latin Baioarii ("Bavarians"), from Latin Boiuvarii, a compound of a Gaulish word meaning “cattle owner” (from Proto-Celtic *bāus ("cow")) + Proto-Germanic *warjaz ("settler"). Alternatively, Pokorny proposes that the first element is a word meaning “warrior”, derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰei-, *bʰī-. This name was adopted by the Marcomanni after defeating the Boii and settling Bohemia and parts of Bavaria.