Pamplona, España
El hecho de documentarse en Navarra varios centenares de topónimos terminados en -áin (escasos, en el País Vasco) atrajo pronto (al menos, con autoridad, desde 1875) el interés etimológico sobre ellos. Son muchas las hipótesis formuladas, sin haber logrado una solución convincente. Ello se debe a que se ha entendido la citada secuencia final como castellano, cuando, obviamente, por su procedencia corresponde al navarro. Desde este nuevo enfoque, se propone su origen a partir del latín -ANEUS y se justifica su doble y sucesiva evolución: -añ(o) y -áin.
The documentation of several hundred toponyms ending in -áin in Navarra (scarce, in the Basque Country) fast attracted (whit competece, as early as 1875) etymological interest in words containing this sequence. Many hypotheses have been proposed as to the form’s origin, though no convincing explanation has been reached. This is because this sequence has traditionally been understood as pertaining to Castilian Spanish, when, obviously, it is as pertaining to Navarrese. From this new approach, the sequence’s origin is proposed to be derived from the Latin -ANEUS, which is double and successive evolution justifiable: -añ(o) y -áin.