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Abkhaz in Latin.

Okay, here’s a fun problem from the Latin Wiktionary: trying to sort out category and page titles and needing decent translations for language names.

Fun because there are large portions of the world that have one Latin name… and large portions that have many Latin names, muddled together. For ‘Abkhaz’, for example, I have:

  • Abchasius, a modern form that appears in taxonomic nomenclature—at least, if Polydesmus abchasius, a kind of millipede, has this meaning.
  • Abchasicus, also Abschasicus is another taxonomic name; Phragmoscutella abchasica is a type of fungus, while Primula abschasica seems to have been a synonym for Primula vulgaris, the primrose.
  • Apsilae or Absilae[1] is an ancient name used, among others, by Pliny; it is sometimes suggested to be the same as the modern self-appellation Apswa[2], perhaps by Apsila → Apsla → Apswa (?).
  • Abasci or Abasgi is another ancient name [3] and is perhaps, by metathesis, cognate with Abkhaz itself.

So, the question becomes: which would be the best form to use for the people, and what form for the language adjective? Also, any other forms known to you all offhand?

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