Audovacar (from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...

*''Audawakraz'') is a masculine

Germanic name Germanic languages, Germanic given names are traditionally wikt:dithematic, dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, Ethelred II of England, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', f ...

. Composed of the roots (wealth) and (awake), it may be translated "warden of riches" or "watchman of property" and is a

kenning A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English ...

for lord. The name is attested in many variations. The first root may appear as , , , , or and is attested as a name on its own, Aud, in the 3rd century AD. The name

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded f ...

is a derivative. The medieval German form was Ottokar, whence the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

form Otakar. The Czech name Žiroslav (Polish ''Żyrosław'') has the same meaning. The

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

name

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

also means "lord of wealth". __NOTOC__

Attested forms

These forms are mentioned in . *Audacar *Audacrus *Audaccrus *Audgarius *Audagarius *Autcharius *Aotackar *Odowakar *Odakar *Odacrus *Otachar *Otacar *Otacarus * Otakar *Otgarius * Otgar * Otger *Othgar *Otkger

Famous people

* Adovacrius (5th century), Saxon leader in Gaul * Odoacer (d. 493), barbarian king of Italy *

Autchar Autchar (also Otachar or Otgar) was a Frankish nobleman. He served Pippin III as a diplomat in 753 and followed Carloman I after the division of the kingdom in 768. In 772, refusing to accept Carloman's brother Charlemagne as king, he went into exil ...

(8th century), Frankish diplomat *Eadwacer, character from the 9th-century Old English poem " Wulf and Eadwacer"

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{refend Germanic given names