Lodève (French pronunciation: ​[lɔdɛv]; Occitan: Lodeva pronounced [luˈðevɔ]) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish Luteva, composed of lut-, swamp, mud + suffix -eva. It might therefore translate as the muddy place or the swamp city. This mud could be in fact this sort of clay, called argillite, which was use during ancient history to produce pottery.