Editing Andorra (section)

==Etymology==
The origin of the word Andorra is unknown, although several hypotheses have been proposed. The oldest is one put forward by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] historian [[Polybius]] (''[[Histories (Polybius)|Histories]]'' III, 35, 1), who describes the Andosins, an [[Iberians|Iberian]] [[Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula|Pre-Roman tribe]], as historically located in the valleys of Andorra and facing the [[Ancient Carthage|Carthaginian]] army in its passage through the Pyrenees during the [[Punic Wars]]. The word Andosini or Andosins ({{lang|grc|Ἀνδοσίνοι}}) may derive from the [[Basque language|Basque]] {{lang|eu|handia}}, meaning "big" or "giant".<ref name="Diccionari">''Diccionari d'Història de Catalunya''; ed. 62; Barcelona; 1998; {{ISBN|84-297-3521-6}}; p. 42; entrada "Andorra"</ref> The Andorran [[toponymy]] shows evidence of Basque language in the area. Another theory suggests that the word Andorra may derive from the old word Anorra that contains the Basque word {{lang|eu|ur}} ("water").<ref>{{cite book|last=Font Rius |first=José María |title=Estudis sobre els drets i institucions locals en la Catalunya medieval |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQL6rtB8VtQC&q=Anorra+andorra&pg=PA743 |publisher=Edicions Universitat Barcelona |year=1985 |page=743 |isbn=978-84-7528-174-2 }}</ref>

Another theory suggests that Andorra may derive from [[Arabic]] {{Transliteration|ar|ad-dārra}} ({{lang|ar|الدَّارَة}}), indicating a vast land which is located among mountains or a thickly wooded place<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-ar/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9/ |title=تعريف و معنى دارة في معجم المعاني الجامع – معجم عربي عربي |website=almaany.com |language=ar}}</ref> (with {{Transliteration|ar|ad-}} being the [[definite article]]). When the [[Moors]] conquered the Iberian Peninsula, the valleys of the High Pyrenees were covered by large tracts of forest. These regions were not administered by [[Muslims]], because of the geographic difficulty of direct rule.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gaston|first=L. L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XpEAQAAMAAJ&q=darra&pg=PA9|title=Andorra, the Hidden Republic: Its Origin and Institutions, and the Record of a Journey Thither|publisher=McBridge, Nast & Co|year=1912|location=New York|page=9}}</ref>

Other theories suggest that the term derives from the [[Navarro-Aragonese]] ''andurrial'', which means "land covered with bushes" or "scrubland".<ref>{{cite web |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Andorra |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510112647/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Andorra |archive-date=10 May 2015 |access-date=14 May 2015 |publisher=Etymonline.com}}</ref>

The [[folk etymology]] holds that Charlemagne had named the region as a reference to the [[Bible|Biblical]] [[Canaan]]ite valley of [[Endor (village)|Endor]] or Andor (where the [[Midianites]] had been defeated), a name bestowed by his heir and son [[Louis the Pious]] after defeating the Moors in the "wild valleys of Hell".<ref>{{cite book |last=Freedman |first=Paul |url=https://archive.org/details/imagesofmedieval0000free |title=Images of the Medieval Peasant |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8047-3373-1 |location=California |page=189 |url-access=registration}}</ref>