Sull’idronimo <i>la Cercle</i> della carta ChLA 1071 lucchese del 779: un plurale?

Abstract The hydronym la Cercle , attested twice in the charter ChLA 1071 (Lucca, AD 779), has aroused several scholars’ interest, as it seems to contain an early occurrence of the Romance definite article la . Various theories have been presented regarding the name, which is difficult to interpret. In this contribution, we examine the hypotheses put forward thus far and propose an alternative reading, according to which the name is in the plural: a mixed phrase composed of an «asigmatic» plural article la (&lt; Lat. illas ) followed by a vocalic plural cercle (&lt; Lat. querculae ).