Editing Abandinus (section)

==Semantics of the theonym==
The [[semantics]] of the [[theonym]] are unknown. All the same, [[linguistics|linguistic]] knowledge of [[Proto-Celtic]] [[lexis (linguistics)|lexis]] permits a narrowing of the likely possibilities of the theonym's semantics. The name could be interpreted as an extended form of a stem composed of [[Proto-Celtic]] elements deriving from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] roots *''ad''- ‘to’<ref>[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch]]:entry 7, [http://www.koeblergerhard.de/idgwbhin.html ''Indogermanisches Wörterbuch''], 2.</ref> + either *''bʰend''- ‘sing, rejoice’<ref>[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch]]:entry 226, ''Indogermanisches Wörterbuch'', 118.</ref> or *''bʰendʰ''- ‘bind’.<ref>[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch]]:entry 227, ''Indogermanisches Wörterbuch'', 118.</ref> Along these lines, the name would mean ‘(the god) who sings to (something/someone)’ or ‘(the god) who binds (something/someone) to (something/someone).’

However, it is also possible to see the name as an extended form of a variant form of the [[Proto-Celtic]] word *''abon''- ‘river,’ derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root *''ab''-, *''h₂eb-'' ‘water, river’.<ref>[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch]]:entry 2, ''Indogermanisches Wörterbuch'', 1.</ref> The shorter element *''abo''- likely existed in the [[Proto-Celtic]] hydronomy as a word for ‘river’ or ‘water.’ It is evident in Romano-Celtic as an unspecific variant name for the rivers flowing into the [[Humber]], documented as ''Abus''. This element developed in [[Modern Welsh]] as ''aber''- meaning ‘river estuary’.  This *''abo''- element could have been the source of the ''Ab-''- element in the theonym ''Abandinus''. So the name can also be analysed as *''Ab-Andinus'' ‘[[Andinus]] of the River,’ [[Andinus]] being a [[theonym]] attested elsewhere in the ancient [[Roman Empire]].