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Dubh Essa

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Dubh Essa
Pronunciationapproximately "Do-vess-a"[1]
GenderFemale
Origin
Meaningdark beauty of the waterfall
Other names
Related namesDub Essa, Dubh Easa, Dubheasa, Dubheasa, Dubhessa, Duibheasa, Duibhessa, Duvessa

Dubh Essa (also spelled Dub Essa, Dubhessa, Dubheasa, Dubh Easa, Duibhessa, Duibheasa) was a medieval Gaelic feminine given name, fairly common in 13th- and 14th-century Ireland.[1]

While the name may be a compound of Gaelic dubh "dark" (probably referring to hair color, hence "black-haired") and eas "waterfall, cascade, rapid" (genitive easa), its meaning is sometimes interpreted as "black nurse" (Latin: nutrix nigra).[2]

Dubh Essa has also been anglicized as Duvessa (e.g., in M. J. Molloy's 1964 comedy The Wooing of Duvessa).

Bearers

References

  1. ^ a b Mittleman, Josh (2 February 1999), Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 1446, retrieved 13 December 2012
  2. ^ Yonge, Charlotte M. (1884). History of Christian Names, p. 254, at Google Books. p. 254.