Etymology
There are various interpretations and assumptions on the etymology of the word "Monferrato", but to date no certain. Among all remember the one advocated by Aldo Ricaldone that would derive from "Mount" and "farro", a variety of wheat, and another according to which derives from the Latin "Mons ferax", that means "mount fertile and rich", another still refers to the irons left by the Romans in their conquest, from which "Mons ferratus." In conclusion, an interpretation derives from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding the right materials, used a brick ("mun" in local dialect), and so the horse was shod ("fra"), hence the name Munfra, Monferrato.
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Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
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