From Middle English Termagaunt ( “ fictitious deity represented as being worshipped by Muslims; any pagan god ” ) , from Anglo-Norman Tervagant , Tervagaunt , Tervagan , and Old French Tervagant , Tervagan (possibly with the addition of Anglo-Norman -aunt , Old French -ant ( suffix forming past participles of verbs , some of which were used as nouns ) ; modern French Tervagant ( historical ) ); further etymology uncertain, one common suggestion being that it is from Latin ter ( “ three times, thrice ” ) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European * tréyes ( “ three ” ) ) + vagāns ( “ rambling, wandering ” ) (the present active participle of vagor ( “ to ramble, roam, wander ” ) , from vagus ( “ rambling, roaming, wandering ” ) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European * Hwogos ) + -or ( inflected form of -ō ( suffix forming regular first- conjugation verbs ) ). Medieval French chansons de geste named Termagant as one of three deities supposedly worshipped by Muslims, the others being Apollin and Mahound , and the name may allude to the wandering of the moon (the crescent moon being a common symbol of Islam) in the form of the mythological goddesses Selene in heaven, Diana on earth, and Proserpina in the underworld.
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