Basque otso 'wolf' apparently derives from Aquitanian OSSON, OXSON1, where XS probably
reflects an apico-alveolar affricate like the one found in modern
Basque. There're also the Iberian onomastic element ośon and
the "Tartessian" toponym Osson-oba 'River of
wolves', whose second member is probably an Italoid toponymic element (e.g. On-oba)
cognate to Lithuanian upė2.
My
colleague Miguel
Carrasquer links this word to Berber *wVʃʃVn 'jackal', in turn linked to Egyptian wnʃ 'wolf' by Militarev. I regard
this and other substrate loanwords as remnants of a Paleo-Berber language once
spoken in the Iberian Peninsula. This would possibly be reflected in the
distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroup E-M81,
native to NW Africa but found also in some areas of the Iberian Peninsula
(especially on the west), with a strong peak among Pasiegos of Cantabria, an
ethnical group of trashumant shepherds3.
 |
| Distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroup E-M81 |
1 J. Gorrotxategi (1984): Estudio sobre la onomástica indígena de Aquitania, p. 250-251.
2 F. Villar (2000): Indoeuropeos y no indoeuropeos en la Hispania prerromana.
3 Attempts to explain this as a result of the Muslim conquest (8th century AD) can be dismissed.
3 Attempts to explain this as a result of the Muslim conquest (8th century AD) can be dismissed.
