Geographical Etymology: A Dictionary Of Place-Names Giving Their Derivations

A DICTIONARY OF PLACE-NAMES

GIVING THEIR DERIVATIONS By C. BLACKIE WITH AN INTRODUCTION By JOHN STUART BLACKIE PROFESSOR OF GREEK IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH THIRD EDITION, REVISED LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1887...

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PREFACE

The Introduction, by which the present work is ushered into public notice, renders any lengthened Preface on my part quite unnecessary. Yet I wish to say a few words with regard to the design and plan of this little volume. The subject, though no doubt possessing a peculiar interest to the general reader, and especially to tourists in these travelling days, falls naturally under the head of historical and geographical instruction in schools; and for such use the book is, in the first place, spec

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INTRODUCTION

Among the branches of human speculation that, in recent times, have walked out of the misty realm of conjecture into the firm land of science, and from the silent chamber of the student into the breezy fields of public life, there are few more interesting than Etymology. For as words are the common counters, or coins rather, with which we mark our points in all the business and all the sport of life, any man whose curiosity has not been blunted by familiarity, will naturally find a pleasure in u

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A

a possession; [2] e.g. Craika, Torfa, Ulpha; A (Scand.) also means an island— v. EA , p. 71. a stream; from Old Norse â , Goth. aha , Old Ger. aha (water). The word, in various forms, occurs frequently in river names throughout Western Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, and often takes the form of au or ach ; e.g. the rivers Aa, Ach, Aach; Saltach (salt river); Wertach (a river with many islands)— v. WARID , etc.; Trupach (troubled stream); Weser, i.e. Wesar-aha (western stream);

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B

a prefix in Phœnician names, derived from the worship of the sun-god among that people; e.g. Baalath and Kirjath-Baal (the city of Baal); Baal-hazor (Baal’s village); BaalHermon (near Mount Hermon); Baal-Judah, etc., in Palestine. Sometimes, however, the word is used as synonymous with beth (a dwelling), as Baal-tamar and Baal-Meon (for Bethtamar and Beth Meon). But Baal-Perazim, we are told, means the place of breaches , and has no reference to the sun-god, Baalbec (the city of the sun), in Syr

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C

an enclosure; e.g. Ca-wood (wood-enclosure); Cayton (wood town or hill). This root is frequently used in Welsh names. chalk or lime—cognate with the Lat. calx , Cel. cailc , sialc ; e.g. Challock, Chaldon, Chalfield (chalk place, hill, and field); Chalgrove (the chalk entrenchment, grab ); the Chiltern Hills (the hills in the chalky district, ern ); Chockier, corrupt. from Calchariæ (the lime kilns), in Belgium; Kelso, anc. Calchou (the chalk heugh or height), so called from a calcareous cliff a

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D

a mountain; e.g. Daghestan (the mountainous district); Baba-dagh (father or chief mountain); Kara-dagh (black mountain); Kezel-dagh (red mountain); Belur-tagh (the snow-capped mountain); Aktagh (white mountain); Mustagh (ice mountain); Beshtau (the five mountains); Tak-Rustan (the mountain of Rustan); Tchazr-dagh (tent mountain); Ala-dagh (beautiful mountain); Bingol-tagh (the mountain of 1000 wells); Agri-dagh (steep mountain); Takht-i-Suliman (Solomon’s mountain). a valley, sometimes a field,

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E

an island; from ea , a , aa , running water; ea or ey enter into the composition of many A.S. names of places which are now joined to the mainland or to rich pastures by the river-side, as in Eton, Eaton, Eyam, Eyworth, Eywick (dwellings by the water); Eyemouth, Moulsy, on the R. Mole; Bermondsey, now included in the Metropolis; Eamont, anc. Eamot (the meeting of waters); Fladda and Fladday (flat island); Winchelsea (either the corner, A.S. wincel , of the water, or the island of Wincheling, son

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F

a beech-tree; Fagetum , a place planted with beeches; e.g. La Fage, Le Faget, Fayet, Les Faus, Faumont, in France. a way or passage—from fahren , to go; e.g. Fahrenhorst (the passage at the wood); Fahrenbach, Fahrwasser (the passage over the water); Fahrwangen (the field at the ferry); Rheinfahr (the passage over the Rhine); Langefahr (long ferry); Niederfahr (lower ferry); Vere or Campvere, in Holland (the ferry leading to Kampen); Ferryby (the town of the Ferry), in Yorkshire; Broughty-Ferry,

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G

a fork, applied to river forks; e.g. Gabelbach (the forked stream); Gabelhof (the court or dwelling at the forked stream), in Germany. In Ireland: Goul, Gowel, and Gowl (the fork); Gola (forks); Addergoul, Addergoule, and Edargoule, Irish Eadar-dha-ghabhal (the place between two river-prongs); Goule, in Yorkshire (on the fork of two streams). a cottage; e.g. Holzgaden (wood cottage); Steingaden (rock cottage). an enclosure, a city, or fortified place, from kir , a wall; e.g. Gades or Cadiz, anc.

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H

an eminence; e.g. Haarlem (the eminence on the clayey soil, leem ). a harbour, from haff (the ocean); e.g. Frische-haff (freshwater haven); Kurische-haff (the harbour of the Cures , a tribe); Ludwig’s-hafen (the harbour of Louis); Charles’s-haven, Frederick’s-haven (named after their founders); Delfshaven (the canal harbour); Vilshaven (the harbour at the mouth of the R. Vils); Thorshaven (the harbour of Thor); Heiligenhaven (holy harbour); Hamburg (the town of the harbour), formerly Hochburi (h

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I

an island; e.g. I-Colum-chille or Iona (the island of St. Columba’s cell); Ierne or Ireland (the western island or the island of Eire, an ancient queen). a country or land; e.g. Galatia and Galicia, and anc. Gallia (the country of the Gauls); Andalusia, for Vandalusia (the country of the Vandals); Batavia (the good land), bette , good; Britania or Pictavia (probably the land of painted tribes); Catalonia, corrupt. from Gothalonia (the land of the Goths); Circassia (the land of the Tcherkes, a tr

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J

the apple-tree; e.g. Jablonez, Jablonka, Jablona, Jablonken, Jablonoko, Gablenz, Gablona (places abounding in apples); Jablonnoi or Zablonnoi (the mountain of apples). a ditch; e.g. Jamlitz, Jamnitz, and Jamno (places with a ditch or trench); Jamburg (the town in the hollow or ditch); but Jamlitz may sometimes mean the place of medlar-trees, from jemelina (the medlar). a marsh; e.g. Jehser-hohen and Jeser-nieder (the high and lower marsh), near Frankfort; Jeserig and Jeserize (the marshy place).

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K

a quay or a bank by the water-side; e.g. Oudekaai (old quay); Kadzand (the quay or bank on the sand); Moerkade (marshy bank); Kewstoke (the place on the quay); Kew, in Surrey, on the Thames; Torquay (the quay of the hill called Tor ). bald, cognate with the Lat. calvus ; e.g. Kalenberg and Kahlengebirge (the bald mountains). the emperor or Cæsar; e.g. Kaisersheim, Kaiserstadt (the emperor’s town); Kaiserstuhl (the emperor’s seat); Kaiserberg (the emperor’s fortress), in Alsace, named from a cast

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L

a site, a low-lying field; e.g. Brawenlage (brown field); Wittlage (white field or wood field); Blumlage (flowery field); Mühlenloog (the mill field or site); Dinkellage (wheat field). This word is also used as an adjective, signifying low ; e.g. Loogkirk (low church); Loogheyde (low heath); Loogemeer (low lake); Laaland (low island). a lake, cognate with the Lat. lacus and the Cel. loch or lwch . These words in the various dialects originally signified a hollow , from the roots lag , lug , and

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M

a stone; e.g. Maentwrog (the tower-like pillar), a parish in Merioneth; Maen or Dewi (St. David’s possession). a meadow or field, cognate with the Gael. magh ; e.g. Maescar (the pool in the field); Maisemore (great field), in Brecknock and Gloucestershire; Marden, in Hereford, anc. Maes-y-durdin (the field of the water camp); Basaleg, a parish in Wales. The name has been corrupted Maes-aleg , signifying elect land , from an event famous in Welsh history, which took place there. Maes-teg (the fai

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N

a nose, cognate with the Lat. nasus , and in topography applied to a promontory; e.g. the Naze, in Norway, and Nash, in Monmouth; Nash-scaur (the promontory of the cliff), in Wales; Katznase (the cat’s headland); Blankenese (white cape), in Holstein; Foreness, Sheerness, Fifeness, Buchanness, Blackness, in England and Scotland; Roeness (red cape), Shetland; Vatternish (water cape), in Skye; Borrowstounness or Bo’ness, in West Lothian (the cape near Burward’s dwelling); Holderness (the woody prom

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O

upper; e.g. Oberhofen (upper court); Oberlahnstein (the upper fortress on the R. Lahn); Oberndorf, Overbie, Overham, Overton, Overburg (upper town); Oberdrauburg (the upper town on the R. Drave); Overyssel (beyond the R. Yssel); Orton (upper town), in Westmoreland; St. Mary’s-Overy, Southwark ( i.e. over the water from London). the eye—(in topography applied to the source of a stream or a fountain; e.g. Arcueil (the arched fountain or aqueduct); Berneuil (the source of the water, bior ); Verneui

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P

a palace; e.g. the Upper and Lower Palatinate, so called from the palaces erected by the Roman emperors in different parts of the empire; Palazzo, in Dalmatia and Naples; Palazzolo and Palazzuolo (the great palace), in Piedmont; Los Palachios (the palaces), in Spain; Pfalsbourg, anc. Palatiolum (the town of the palace, founded in 1570), in France; Semipalatinsk, in Siberia (the town of the seven palaces), so called from the extensive ruins in its neighbourhood; Spalatro, in Dalmatia, named from

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Q

a place from which water flows—from quellen , to spring, and wyllan , to flow; e.g. Mühlquelle (the mill fountain); Hoogkill (corner well), and Bassekill (low well), in Holland; Quillebœuf (well town), in Normandy; Roeskilde (the fountain of King Roe), in Denmark; Salzwedel (salt well); Hohenwedel (high well); Tideswell, in Derbyshire—probably from a personal name, as there is a Tideslow in the neighbourhood; Wells, in Norfolk (a place into which the tide flows); Wells, in Somerset, named from a

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R

a place where wood has been cut down, and which has been cleared for tillage, from reuten , to root out, to plough or turn up. The word in its various forms, reud , reut , and rath , is common in German topography; e.g. Wittarode (the cleared wood); Herzegerode (the clearing on the Hartz Mountains); Quadrath (the clearing of the Quadi); Lippenrode (the clearing on the R. Lippe); Rade-vor-dem-walde (the clearing in front of the wood); Randarath and Wernigerode (the clearing of Randa and Werner);

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S

behind; e.g. Sabor (behind the wood); Zadrin (behind the R. Drin); Zamosc (behind the moss); Zabrod (behind the ford); Zablat (behind the marsh). a barn; e.g. Saul, Co. Down, anc. Sabhall-Patrick (Patrick’s barn), being the first place of worship used by St. Patrick in Ireland; Saval (the barn used as a church), near Newry; Drumsaul (the barn or church on the ridge); Sawel, a mountain in Ireland, probably from the same root; Cairntoul, a hill in Aberdeenshire, originally Carn-t-Sabhall (the cair

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T

great; e.g. Ta-kiang (the great river); Ta-Hai (the great lake); Ta-Shan (great mountain); Ta-Gobi (the great desert). an inn; e.g. Taberna, in Spain; Zabern-Rhein (the inn on the Rhine); Zabern-berg (the hill inn); Zabern-Elsass (the Alsatian inn), called in French Savernæ , corrupt. from the Lat. Tabernæ ; Tavernes and Taverny, in France. a tongue, a point of land; e.g. Tongue, a parish in Sutherlandshire; Tong, in Ross; Tongland, in Kirkcudbright, upon a peninsula formed by the Rivers Dee and

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U

a cave; e.g. Cluain-uamha (the pasture of the cave), the ancient name of Cloyne, Co. Cork; Drumnahoe, i.e. Druim-na-huamha (the ridge of the cave); Mullinahone (the mill of the cave); Lisnahoon (the fort of the cave), in Ireland. Wem, in Salop, and Wembdon, in Somerset, as well as other place-names with the prefix wem , may be derived from the A.S. wem (a hollow), analogous to the Cel. uaimh . Wamphray, in Dumfriesshire, Gael. Uamh-fridh (the forest-cave). high, cognate with the Gael. uchda (a h

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V

a valley; e.g. Vallais (the land of valleys), in Switzerland—its inhabitants were formerly called Nantuates , i.e. valley dwellers; Val-de-Avallano (the valley of hazels); Val-de-fuentes (of fountains); Val-del-laguna (of the lagoon); Val-del-losa (of the flagstone); Val-del-Moro (of the Moor); Val-de-Olivas (of olive-trees); Val-de-penas (of the rocks); Val-de-robles (of the oak-trees), in Spain; Val-de-lys (the valley of streams), in the Pyrenees, from an old Provençal word lys (water); Vallée

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W

a ford, cognate with the Lat. vadum and the Gadhelic ath ; e.g. Wadebridge (the bridge at the ford), in Cornwall; Wath-upon-Dearne (the ford of the R. Dearne), in Yorkshire; Carnwath (the ford at the cairn), in Lanarkshire; Lasswade (the ford on the pasture-land, laes ), in Mid Lothian; Wath (the ford), on the Yorkshire Ouse; Langwaden (long ford), in Germany; Wageningen, Lat. Vadu (on the ford), in Holland, on the R. Leck. a river-course or ravine; e.g. Wâdi-el-Ain (the ravine of the fountain);

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Y

salt; e.g. Yen-shan (salt hill); Yen-yuen (salt spring). new; e.g. Yenidja-Vardar (the new fortress), anc. Pella ; Yenidya-Carasu (the new place on the black water); Yenikale (the new castle); Yenikhan (new inn); Yeniseisk (the new town on the R. Yenisei); Yenishehr (the new dwelling); Yeni-Bazar (new market); Yenikoi (new village); Yeni-Hissar (new castle)....

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Z

a fountain; e.g. Great and Little Zab, in Turkey. black; e.g. Zschorne (black town); Sornosche-Elster, i.e. the black R. Elster; Zschornegosda (black inn); Zarnowice, Zarnowitz, Sarne, Sarnow, Sarnowo, Sarnaki (black village). red; e.g. Tscherna (the red river); Tscherniz or Zerniz (red town); Tzernagora (red mountain). a Greek church, from the Grk. kuriake ; a Romish church in their language is called kosciol ; a Protestant church, zbor ; e.g. Zerkowo, Zerkowitz, Zerkwitz (the town of the Greek

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