a tribe that lived in the Black Sea region. It was conquered by the Goths in the II century
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Meaning 2
giant
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Comment
The ethnonym is present in the works of Jordan ("Гетика", 28: ad gentem Spalorum adveniunt), it is identified with the tribe of σπόροι, mentioned by Procopiu of Caesaria. It gave also the Old Pol. stolim, stołym, stolin, stwolin ‘giant’, Kash. stolem ‘giant’. Срезневский 1, 1130-1131, Черных 1, 359, Журавев 2007, 97
J̌ahukyan 2010, 683, Журавлев 2005, 547. In Classical Armenian was also hskay (հսկայ) 'giant'(h- is intensifying prefix). In Modern Armenian hska (հսկա) 'giant' АрмРС 429. Alternatively Classical Armenian skay probably borrowed from a Middle Iranian descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian *káwiš 'seer, poet', 'institutor of religious rites'[Sanskrit kaví 'poet', Avestan kauui 'poet, bard', Middle Persian kay 'title of the dynasty of Wištāsp, Kayanian', Persian kay, Parthian kaw 'prince, lord; giant', Middle Persian kaw 'prince, lord; giant', Sogdian qwy 'giant'] with the augmentative prefix s- (Olsen 1999, 906; Szemerényi 1970, 426).