What is the origin of the word Leibach?

Abstract

The capital of Slovenia Ljubljana (Roman colony Aemona Julia, Laybacum, Laibacensis, Labacensis Lungan, Leibach, Luwigana/Lubigana, and Lublana) was known under several names during its long history. In German version of the guide-book of Ljubljana the German name Leibach is mentioned. The name occus from 1122 to 1125 in historic documents of the town. The first settlers from German lands come to the southern region of the Karawanken Mountains during the Merowingian/Karolingian times (450 to 900 of our counting). They arrived possibly from the West-falian respectively Rheinlandian language area, or eventually from the Saxonian Ore Mountains. The German expression Leibach consists of two elements, namely of the words „Lei" and ,,Bach"= brook (=in Slovenian: potok). The first word could originate from the term „Lei", used in Rheinland and derived according to newer understanding from the Celtic word „Ley". The meaning of the Lower German word „Lei" was transferred by the Grimm brothers in 19th century into the High German. Accordingly, this old Rhenan dialectal term means in High German Schiefer, (schist), Stein, (stone) and Fels (rock). The word-to-word translation of the German word Leibach in the Slovenian language means simply „skrilavec ob potoku", "shale at the brook". By the Rhenan word „Lei" here only a locality with exposed rocks, Gesteinen (schist, stone and rock = Lei), along the course of a smaller or larger Bach - creek or brook - (Leibach) has been localized und described. In this sense the term Leibach corresponds exactly to the general idea of the old Rhenan word „Lei". It could have been possible that the first immigrants to this area originated in the Halle community in Westfalia, and that they gave the ancient settlement of Lubigana the German name Leibach owing to outcrops of the rocks similar to those in their old country.