The “Visi” in “Visigoths” is already meant to identify them as the western Gothic people, in contrast with the eastern “Ostrogoths” (it doesn’t mean “western” but it was meant to be used like that by Cassiodorus, who invented the term).
Between Wiktionary and Etymonline, the suggestion is the word stems from Latin Vesi as a Latinized form of their tribe name, itself coming from PGmc *wesuz “great, excellent”.
I really hope this is right, because a nation of goths who call themselves “the Good Guys” is hilarious to me.
i gathered that it wasn’t cassiodorus who started using the term that way but a later writer. he invented the term but just called the ostrogoths “goths”
The “Visi” in “Visigoths” is already meant to identify them as the western Gothic people, in contrast with the eastern “Ostrogoths” (it doesn’t mean “western” but it was meant to be used like that by Cassiodorus, who invented the term).
Between Wiktionary and Etymonline, the suggestion is the word stems from Latin Vesi as a Latinized form of their tribe name, itself coming from PGmc *wesuz “great, excellent”.
I really hope this is right, because a nation of goths who call themselves “the Good Guys” is hilarious to me.
i gathered that it wasn’t cassiodorus who started using the term that way but a later writer. he invented the term but just called the ostrogoths “goths”