This base type originates from lat. spŏngia 'sponge' which was borrowed from grc. σπογγιά. The newer form *sponga resulted from the influence of grc. σπόγγος. As a consequence, the suffix -ia was simplified to -a and the female gender was preserved. *Sponga became fra. éponge and ita. spongia. In Italy, the word has spread along the east coast from south to north, replacing lat. spongia in the Po Valley. While it also spread towards the north at the west coast, it could not suppress Tuscan spugna from lat. spŏngia. At the expense of spŏngia, it also spread across the entire Gallo-Roman area. Here, Marseille is suggested as the centre of this development, since the word arrived from Greece via the trade with sponges. Marseille was the main location for this (cf. FEW 12, 207–209 under spongia). The word was borrowed by Dolomite Ladin from Veneto or Trentino (vgl. EWD VI: 395). In Friuli, this type was used metaphorically to denote butter (vgl. AIS, map 1207 and map 1208; cf.ASLEF 3397) which might be due to its similarity in shape and colour to a sponge. During churning, the fat separates from the buttermilk in the form of butter granules. After draining the buttermilk, the butter granules are washed and then kneaded to squeeze out the remaining liquid (vgl. Mohr 1937: 379–380).