euskara

See also: Euskara

Basque

Alternative forms

• euskera (Gipuzkoan, Biscayan)

Etymology

Ostensibly from Proto-Basque *euskala. It certainly contains the suffix -(k)era, -(k)ara (“in the manner of”) added to some rather obscure first element. This component may be connected to Aquitanian Ausci, the name of an Aquitanian tribe documented by Pliny, although the initial diphthongs are different.

Alternatively, it has been pointed out that the historiographer Esteban de Garibay (1533-1599) wrote euskara as enusquera, with intervocalic -n-. Thus, the unknown component could also be interpreted as coming from Proto-Basque *enauśi (“to say, tell”), whence the stem -io- (or -iño in Biscayan) of Modern Basque esan. The entire compound would therefore mean “way of saying”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eu̯s̺kaɾa/, [e̞u̯s̺.ka.ɾa]

Noun

euskara

1. The Basque language

Declension

Declension of euskara (inanimate, singular only, ending in -a)

	indefinite	singular
absolutive	euskara	euskara
ergative	—	euskarak
dative	—	euskarari
genitive	—	euskararen
comitative	—	euskararekin
causative	—	euskararengatik
benefactive	—	euskararentzat
instrumental	euskaraz	euskaraz
inessive	—	euskaran
locative	—	—
allative	—	—
terminative	—	—
directive	—	—
destinative	—	—
ablative	—	—
partitive	euskararik	—
prolative	euskaratzat	—

Derived terms

• Euskadi
• Euskal Herria
• euskalari
• euskaldun
• euskalki
• euskaltzain
• euskaltzale
• euskaratu

 

Synonyms

• euskera

Further reading

• “euskara”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005
• “euskara”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], Euskaltzaindia

---

Spanish

Noun

euskara m (plural euskaras)

1. Alternative spelling of euskera

Further reading

• “euskara”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014