Need some help in the French or from Francophiles anywhere

[scruffy1]

Coming out of the Cele Valley down to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie one finds the Chemin de Halage a walk along the towpath carved onto rock leading to the village/town of Bouzies-a wonderful excursion. Now jumping wildly elsewhere, in Brazil there is a resort made popular by Bridget Bardot a generation ago called Armação dos Búzios usually shortened to Búzios. Búzios in Brazilian Portuguese means shell or conch leading me to the question. Is the French/Languedoc name of Bouzies in any way connected to the meaning of shell? An intriguing perhaps which I cannot answer.
Thanks, Scruffy

 

[supersullivan]

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...3q9XisCD44VYTAx2N7jJx7kzIOFRQrPTDqd1seS0pduVw

Tried Google but no luck but the walk you describe looks spectacular.

 

[mspath]

In French the word for shell is usually coquille , ie coquille saint-jacques.

 

[whariwharangi]

Ask Marina Orlova the Philologist
http://hotforwords.com/

 

[Kitsambler]

In French the word for shell is usually coquille , ie coquille saint-jacques.

But that's French (Languedoui), not Languedoc/Occitan.

 

[GettingThere]

Not sure how reliable it is, but this English-Occitan dictionary has the word cauquilha for shell (not too different from coquille). It doesn't have a translation for Bouzies or similar words.

 

[mspath]

Here is further on-line research cited in Les Monographies d'Edmond Albe re the Quercy place name Bouzies. "La forme actuelle Bouziès s'écrivait autrefois Boziers, Voziers, Voziès. On ne sera pas surpris de trouver la forme latine de Vosias dans un acte du XIè siècle qui se trouvait au cartulaire de l'Eglise de Cahors" / The present term Bouzies earlier was written as Boziers, Voziers, Voziès. One is not surprised to see the Latin word Vosias used in an act of the XIth century found in the register of properties held by of the Cahors church .

These Monographies were found through quercy.net which is a most useful source for historic and touristic information regarding the Quercy region.

MM

 

[AlanSykes]

I'm afraid this doesn't help, but I used to live near the similar sounding Hérault town of Bouzigues, on the étang de Thau, which is famous for its mussels, oysters and shellfish generally. But sadly apparently in Occitan it derives from Bosiga, which means a desert or uncultivated place (presumably because of all the salt from the étang).

 

[dandagenais]

Salut mon ami!

the only thing I can see would be that is is from the word "Bougie" that means "Candle".... That's what is closest

 

[naplesdon]

The "v" and "b" are used interchangably in the languages of this region, i.e. Biscay and Vizcaya.