Laia (tool)
Encyclopedia
The laia is a two-pronged type of foot-plough used in the Basque Country. Aside from being a farming implement, it is also used in the associated laia competitions. The people using a laia are referred to as laiariak in Basque
.
ending but is mainly used in the form of laia today. Other forms include lain (Oiartzun
) and laixa (Eibar
).
Beyond that the etymology is not entirely clear but a connection with names for other forked implements in other neighbouring Romance languages such as the Béarnese word layà (a forked instrument for gathering chestnuts) seems plausible.
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
.
Etymology
The word is also attested as lai, without the absolutiveAbsolutive case
The absolutive case is the unmarked grammatical case of a core argument of a verb which is used as the citation form of a noun.-In ergative languages:...
ending but is mainly used in the form of laia today. Other forms include lain (Oiartzun
Oiartzun
Oiartzun is a town of the Basque Country located in the province of Gipuzkoa lying at the foot of the massif Aiako Harria.The name traces back to the Oiasso or Oiarso of the Roman period, an important town dedicated to mining and marine activities...
) and laixa (Eibar
Éibar
Eibar is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. The city was chartered by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1346...
).
Beyond that the etymology is not entirely clear but a connection with names for other forked implements in other neighbouring Romance languages such as the Béarnese word layà (a forked instrument for gathering chestnuts) seems plausible.