Editing Attila (section)

== Etymology ==
Many scholars have argued that the name [[Attila (name)|Attila]] derives from [[East Germanic languages|East Germanic]] origin; ''Attila'' is formed from the [[Gothic language|Gothic]] or [[Gepids|Gepidic]] noun ''atta'', "father", by means of the diminutive suffix ''-ila'', meaning "little father", compare [[Ulfilas|Wulfila]] from ''wulfs'' "wolf" and ''-ila'', i.e. "little wolf".{{r|Maenchen-Helfen|p=386}}{{r|Doerfer|p=29}}{{r|Lehmann|p=46}} The Gothic etymology was first proposed by [[Jacob Grimm|Jacob]] and [[Wilhelm Grimm]] in the early 19th century.{{r|Snaedal|p=211}} Maenchen-Helfen notes that this derivation of the name "offers neither phonetic nor semantic difficulties",{{r|Maenchen-Helfen|p=386}} and Gerhard Doerfer notes that the name is simply correct Gothic.{{r|Doerfer|p=29}} Alexander Savelyev and Choongwon Jeong (2020) similarly state that Attila's name "must have been Gothic in origin."<ref name= Savelyev /> The name has sometimes been interpreted as a Germanization of a name of [[Hunnic language|Hunnic]] origin.{{r|Doerfer|pp=29–32}}

Other scholars have argued for a [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] origin of the name. [[Omeljan Pritsak]] considered ''Ἀττίλα'' (Attíla) a composite title-name which derived from Turkic *''es'' (great, old), and *''til'' (sea, ocean), and the suffix /a/.{{r|Pritsak|p=444}} The stressed back syllabic ''til'' assimilated the front member ''es'', so it became *''as''.{{r|Pritsak|p=444}} It is a nominative, in form of ''attíl-'' (< *''etsíl'' < *''es tíl'') with the meaning "the oceanic, universal ruler".{{r|Pritsak|p=444}} [[J. J. Mikkola]] connected it with Turkic ''āt'' (name, fame).{{r|Snaedal|p=216}} As another Turkic possibility, H. Althof (1902) considered it was related to Turkish ''atli'' (horseman, cavalier), or Turkish ''at'' (horse) and ''dil'' (tongue).{{r|Snaedal|p=216}} Maenchen-Helfen argues that Pritsak's derivation is "ingenious but for many reasons unacceptable",{{r|Maenchen-Helfen|p=387}} while dismissing Mikkola's as "too farfetched to be taken seriously".{{r|Maenchen-Helfen|p=390}} M. Snædal similarly notes that none of these proposals has achieved wide acceptance.{{r|Snaedal|pp=215–216}}

Criticizing the proposals of finding Turkic or other etymologies for Attila, Doerfer notes that King [[George VI]] of the United Kingdom had a name of Greek origin, and [[Süleyman the Magnificent]] had a name of Arabic origin, yet that does not make them Greek or Arab: it is therefore plausible that Attila would have a name not of Hunnic origin.{{r|Doerfer|pp=31–32}} Historian Hyun Jin Kim, however, has argued that the Turkic etymology is "more probable".{{r|Kim|p=30}}

M. Snædal, in a paper that rejects the Germanic derivation but notes the problems with the existing proposed Turkic etymologies, argues that Attila's name could have originated from Turkic-[[Mongolian languages|Mongolian]] ''at'', ''adyy/agta'' ([[gelding]], [[Horses in warfare|warhorse]]) and Turkish ''atlı'' (horseman, cavalier), meaning "possessor of geldings, provider of warhorses".{{r|Snaedal|pp=216–217}}