Geusa

Geusa
Stadtteil of Merseburg
Geusa
Location of Geusa within Saalekreis
Coordinates: 51°20′18″N 11°56′22″E / 51.33833°N 11.93944°ECoordinates: 51°20′18″N 11°56′22″E / 51.33833°N 11.93944°E
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Saalekreis
Town	Merseburg
Area
• Total	12.63 km^2 (4.88 sq mi)
Population (2006-12-31)
• Total	1,488
• Density	120/km^2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	06217
Dialling codes	03461
Vehicle registration	SK

Geusa is a village and a former municipality within the district Saalekreis, in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since January 1, 2010, it is within the town limits of Merseburg.

History

The village of Geusa was mentioned as early as 880/890 in the Hersfeld Tithe Register (Hersfelder Zehntverzeichnis) as Husuw(n)a, or Husiuwa. Additional nobility maps dating back to 1000 have the town marked as Geußau, Geißau, Geusau, and Geußen. It appears as Gusau in an August 9, 975 entry in the Pago Hassaga, a record of noble land holdings for the region during the reign of Otto II. The town appears as "Geuse" in Willem Blaeu's 1645 edition of Atlas Novus in the map of Mansfeld County, entitled Mansfeldia Commitatus.

Origin of name

The von Geusau family of Geusa maintains that the name derives from the Latin gans for "goose." However, while this cannot be ruled out, no salient documents exist to support this claim. It is equally probable that the name Geusa shares its origin with the Geisel River Valley, but since both names date back to the days of the Carolingian Empire, the original spelling and etymology have been lost. There are several equally valid possibilities:

Czech origin

Because Geusa resides in an area of ancient borderlands, the name may be of Proto Czech, Old Czech, or Slavic origin, from husa, meaning "goose."

Lombardic origin

The name could also originate from the Lombardic patronym Giso, a variant of Adalgis, meaning "noble, precious, promise."

Proto-Germanic origin

Due to its age, the name is likely related to the Proto-Germanic root hūsą, meaning "house" or "home."

Proto-Indo-European origin

Geusa may be related one of two PIE roots: ghos- for "stranger," "guest," or "host," and gaits for "goat."

Old High German origin

The name may also derive from Old High German gewi, (from the Gothic gavi, (neuter) or gaujis (genitive)), a medieval term for a region within a country, often a former or actual province. Another possibility is it come from the OHG gīsl or gīsal meaning "hostage."

Ugric origin

Finally, the name may originate from the Ugric hús- relating to a place where meat is processed or sold.