Etymology: < Anglo-Norman Romanie Rome, the Roman Empire (mid 13th cent. or earlier; compare Middle French Romanie Greece (first half of the 15th cent.; for the semantic motivation, compare Romaic n. and adj.)) and its etymon post-classical Latin Romania the Roman world, the Roman Empire (5th cent.) < classical Latin Rōmānus Roman adj.¹ + -ia -y suffix³.With the β. forms compare the β. forms at Roman n.¹ and adj.¹

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < a regional (Bergamo) variant of Italian romanese ( < the name of Romano di Lombardia , a village in the region of Bergamo + -ese -ese suffix), denoting the fur in question. See further R. van der Meulen in Tijdschrift voor nederlandsche taal- en letterkunde (1928) 47 145–58. N.E.D. (1909) derives the word < Middle French romine, roumine, rommeine, denoting a kind of fur (of unknown origin), but this is first attested later (1577) and, according to van der Meulen, is unlikely to be etymologically related. It also compares Middle French rommenis, rommenys, plural noun (1530 in Palsgrave), which for chronological reasons is unlikely to be the etymon of the English word, although it probably derives < the same Italian etymon, as does the first element of Dutch †romanyske vellen (1521), †romenisse vellen (1548), †romany vellekens (1651), etc., in same sense. For an alternative but unconvincing etymological suggestion see Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Romany adj.²