Maurits Gysseling (1919–1997) was a Belgian linguist, toponymist, and paleographer renowned for his groundbreaking work on the history of place names and medieval texts. Born in Oudenburg and educated in Oostakker and at Ghent University, he earned his doctorate summa cum laude in 1950 with Toponymie van Oudenburg and later taught Dutch toponymy and anthroponymy at his alma mater.
A prolific scholar, Gysseling produced the influential Corpus Gysseling of Middle Dutch texts and the monumental Toponymisch Woordenboek (1960). His research extended to early Germanic influence in the Low Countries and a hypothesized prehistoric Indo-European language he called “Belgisch.” Highly decorated, he was a member of the KANTL, the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde, and recipient of honors including the Order of Orange-Nassau. His archives and unfinished works were bequeathed to Ghent University and KANTL.
