Armorica or
Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of
Gaul between the
Seine and
Loire rivers, that includes the
Brittany peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast. The
toponym is based on the Gaulish phrase
are-mori "on/at [the] sea", made into the Gaulish place name
Aremorica (
*are-mor-ika ) "Place by the Sea". The suffix
-ika was first used to create
adjectival forms and then, names (see regions such as
Pays d'Ouche from
Utica and
Perche from
Pertica). The original designation was vague, including a large part of what became
Normandy in the 10th century and, in some interpretations, the whole of the coast down to the
Garonne river. Later, the term became restricted to Brittany.