1.Italy.Aduaant., now theAdda.Bohemia.TheWat(awa).2.With the ending en = Sansc. udon, water?France.TheOdon.Germany.Aden(oua), 10th cent., now theAden(au).3.With the ending er = Germ. wasser, Eng. water, &c.England.TheOdderand theOtter.TheWoder, Dorset. Woder,Cod. Dip.TheAdurin Sussex.TheVedraof Ptolemy, now the Wear, according to Pott, comes in here.France.Aturusant., now theAdour.Auduraant., now theEure.Germany.Odoraant., now theOder.Wetter(aha), 8th cent., now theWetter.[7]4.With the ending rn.[8]Germany.Adrana, 1st cent., now theEder.Asia Minor.TheEdrenos. Anc. Rhyndacus.5.With the ending el.Russia.TheVodla. Lake and river.
To the above root I also put a form ined, corresponding with Welsheddain, to flow, Ang.-Sax.edre, a water-course, &c.
1.With the ending en.England.TheEden. Cumberland. Probably the Ituna of Ptolemy.Scotland.TheEdenand theYthan.France.TheIton. Joins the Eure.2.With the ending er.Scotland.TheEttr(ick). Joins the Tweed.Germany.Eiter(aha), 8th cent. TheEitr(ach)[9], theEiter(ach), and theAiter(ach).Denmark.Eidoraant., now theEider.3.With the ending el.England.TheIdle. Notts.4.With the ending es.Germany.Idasa, 11th cent., now theItz.
With the above may perhaps also be classed the Celticandorant,[10]to which Mone, (Die Gallische sprache), gives the meaning of water.
1.England.TheAnt. Norfolk.2.With the ending en.England.TheAnton.[11]Hants.3.With the ending er.France.Andriaant. Now the Lindre.4.With the ending el.France.TheAndelle. Joins the Seine.Germany.Antil(aha), 10th cent., now theAndel(au).
To the Celt.dubr, Welshdwfr, water, are by common consent referred the names in the second division of the undermentioned. But the formsdub,duv, which in accordance with the general system here advocated, I take to be the older and simpler form of the word, are, by Zeuss (Gramm. Celt.), as well as most English writers, referred to Welshdu, Gael.dubh, black.
1.England.TheDove. Staffordshire.TheDow. Yorkshire.Wales.Tobiusant., now theTowy.TheDovy, Merioneth.France.Dubisant., now theDoubs.TheDoux, joins the Rhine.2.With the ending er, forming the Celtic dubr, Welsh dwfr.[12]Ireland.Doburant., retains its name.[13]France.TheTouvre.Germany.Dubra, 8th cent., now theTauber.TheDaubr(awa), Bohemia.3.With the ending es.Russia.TheDubissa.
Another Celtic word for water isdur, which, however, seems more common in the names of towns (situated upon waters) than in the names of rivers. Is this word formed by syncope from the last, asduber=dur? Or is it directly from the root of the Sansc.drâordur, to move?
1.England.TheDurra. Cornwall.Germany.Δοῦρας, Strabo, now the Iller or the Isar.Switz.Dura, 9th cent. TheThur.[14]Italy.Duriaant., now theDora.Turrusant., now theTorre.Spain.Duriusant., now theDouro.Russia.TheTura. Siberia.TheTurija. Russ. Poland.2.With the ending en.France.Duraniusant., now theDordogne.
In this chapter is to be included the rootar, respecting which I quote the following remarks of Förstemann. "The meaning of river, water, must have belonged to this wide-spread root, though I never find it applied as an appellative, apart from the obsolete Dutch wordaar, which Pott produces. I also nowhere find even an attempt to explain the following river-names from any root, and know so little as scarcely to make a passing suggestion; even the Sanscrit itself shows me no likely word approaching it, unless perhaps we think ofara, swift (Petersburger Wörterbuch)."
The root, I apprehend, like that of most other river-names, is to be found in a verb signifying to move, to go—the Sansc.ar,irorur, Lat.ire,errare, &c. And we are not without an additional trace of the sense we want, as the Basque hasur, water,errio, a river, and the Hung. haser, a brook. Thesense of swiftness, as found in Sansc.ara, may perhaps intermix in the following names. But there is also a word of precisely opposite meaning, the Gael.ar, slow, whence Armstrong, with considerable reason, derives the name of the Arar (or Saone), a river noted above all others for the slowness of its course. Respecting this word as a termination see page 11.
1.England.TheArrow, Radnor. TheArrow, Worcester.TheOre. Joins the Alde.Ireland.Arrow, lake and river, Sligo.France.TheAuray. Dep. Morbihan.Germany.Ara, 8th cent. TheAhr, near Bonn, theOhre, which joins the Elbe, and theOhrein Thuringia, had all the same ancient name of Ara.Ur(aha), 10th cent., now theAur(ach).Switzerland.Ara, ant. TheAar.Italy.TheEra. Joins the Arno.Spain.Uriusant., now the Rio Tinte.Russia.Oarus(Herodotus), perhaps the Volga.2.With the ending en.England.TheArun, Sussex.Scotland.TheOrrinand theEarne.Ireland.TheErne, Ulster.Germany.Oorana, 8th cent., now theOrre.Arn(ape), 8th cent., (ap, water), now theErft.TheOhrn. Wirtemberg.Tuscany.Arnusant. TheArno.3.With the ending el.Germany.Erl(aha), 11th cent. TheErla.Urula, 9th cent. TheErl.Arla, 10th cent. TheArl.TheOrla. Joins the Saale.Savoy.TheArly.Aust. Slavonia.TheOrly(ava).Russia.TheUraland theOrl(yk).
Fromarandur, to move, the Sanscrit formsarchandurj, with the same meaning, but perhaps in a rather more intense degree, if we may judge by some of the derivatives, as Lat.urgeo, &c. In two of the three appellatives which I find, the Basqueerreca, brook, and the Lettishurga, torrent, we may trace this sense; but in the third, Mordvinian (a Finnish dialect),erke, lake, it is altogether wanting. And on the whole, I cannot find it borne out in the rivers quotedbelow. Perhaps the Obs. Gael.arg, white, which has been generally adduced as the etymon of these names, may intermix.
1.England.TheArke. Yorkshire.TheIrk. Lancashire.France.TheOurcq. Dep. Aisne.TheOrgeand theArc.Belgium.TheHerk. Prov. Limburg.Sardinia.TheArc. Joins the Isère.Spain.TheArga. Joins the Aragon.Armenia.Aragusant., now theArak.2.With the ending en.Germany.Arguna, 8th cent. TheArgen.Russia.TheArgun. Two rivers.Spain.TheAragon. Joins the Ebro.3.With the ending et.Siberia.TheIrkut. Joins the Angara.4.With the ending es.France.TheArques.Russia.TheIrghiz. Two rivers.5.With the ending enz.[15]Germany.Argenza, 9th cent., now theErgers.
From the Sansc.ri, to flow, Gr.ῥεω, Lat.rigo(often applied to rivers—"Qua Ister Getas rigat,"Tibullus), Sansc.rinas, fluid, Old Sax.rîha, a torrent, Ang.-Sax.regen,Eng.rain, Slav.rêka, a stream, Welshrhe, rapid,rhean,rhen, a stream, &c., we get the following group. The river Regen Berghaus derives from Germ.regen, rain, in reference to the unusual amount of rain-fall which occurs in the Böhmer-wald, where it has its source. Butmann derives it from Wend. and Slav.rêka, a stream, connecting its name also with that of the Rhine. Both these derivations I think rather too narrow.
With respect to the Rhine I quote the following opinions. Armstrong derives it from Celt.reidh-an, a smooth water, than which nothing can be more unsuitable—the characteristic of the river, as noticed by all observers, from Cæsar and Tacitus downwards—being that of rapidity. Donaldson compares it with Old Norserenna, fluere, and makes Rhine = Anglo-Saxonrin, cursus aquæ. Grimm (Deutsch. Gramm.) compares it with Goth.hrains, pure, clear, and thinks that "in any case we must dismiss the derivation fromrinnan, fluere." Zeuss and Förstemannsupport the opinion of Grimm; nevertheless, all three agree in thinking that the name is of Celtic origin. The nearest word, as it seems to me, is Welshrhean,rhen, a stream, cognate with Sansc.rinas, fluid, Old Norserenna, fluere, and (as I suppose), with Goth.hrains, pure.
1.England.TheRea. Worcester.TheWrey. Devonshire.Ireland.TheRye. Joins the Liffey.Germany.TheRega. Pomerania.Holland.TheRegge. Joins the Vecht.Spain.TheRiga. Pyrenees.Russia.Rhaant., now the Volga.2.With the ending en.Germany.Regin, 9th cent. TheRegen.Rhenus, 1st cent.B.C.TheRhine.TheRhin. Joins the Havel.TheRhine. A small stream near Cassel.Norway.TheReen.Italy.TheRenoby Bologna.Asiat. Russ.TheRhion, ant. Phasis.
The Sansc.lî, to wet, moisten, spreads into many forms through the Indo-European languages. I divide them for convenience into two groups, and take first Lat.liqueo, OldNorseleka, Ang.-Sax.lecan(stillare, rigare), Gael. and Ir.li, sea, Gael.lia, Welshlli,llion, a stream. Most of the following names, I take it, are Celtic. I am not sure that the sense of stillness or clearness does not enter somewhat into the two following groups.
1.England.TheLee. Cheshire.TheLeach. Gloucestershire.Ireland.TheLee. Two rivers.Germany.Licus, 2nd cent., now theLech.Lia, 8th cent., now theLuhe.France.Legia, 10th cent., now theLys.[16]Belgium.TheLeck. Joins the Maas.Hindostan.TheLye. Bengal.2.With the ending en = Welsh llion, a stream.England.TheLeen. Notts.Scotland.TheLyonand theLyne.France.TheLigne. Dep. Ardéche.3.With the ending er.England.TheLegreby Leicester, now the Soar.France.Ligerant. TheLoire.TheLegre. Dep. Gironde.
For the second group I take Lat.lavo,luo, Old Norselauga, lavare, Anglo-Saxonlagu,water, Gael.lo, water, Gael. and Ir.loin, stream. In this group there may perhaps be something more of the Germain element,e.g., in the rivers of Scandinavia.
1.England.TheLug. Hereford.Wales.TheLooe. Two rivers.France.TheLoue. Dep. Haute Vienne.Germany.Louch(aha), 11th cent. TheLaucha.Loua, 10th cent., not identified.Holland.TheLave.Finland.TheLugaorLouga.2.With the ending en.England.TheLune. Lancashire.TheLaine. Cornwall.TheLeven. Two rivers.Scotland.TheLeven. Two rivers.Ireland.TheLagan, near Belfast.France.Lunaant., now theLoing.Germany.Logan(aha), 8th cent., now theLahn.TheLownain Prussia.Norway.TheLougan. Joins the Glommen.TheLouven. Stift Christiana.Russia.TheLugan.Italy.TheLavino.The lakeLugano.India.TheLoony—here?3.With the ending er.Scotland.TheLugar. Ayr.Wales.TheLloughor. Glamorgan.
To the above root I also place the following, corresponding more distinctly with Welshllifo, to pour.
1.Ireland.TheLiffeyby Dublin.Germany.Luppia, 1st cent. TheLippe.TheLip(ka). Bohemia.2.With the ending er.England.TheLiver. Cornwall.Scotland.TheLiver. Argyle.Ireland.TheLiffar.
More remotely with the Sansc.lî, liquere, and directly with Welshlleithio, to moisten,llyddo, to pour, Gael.lith, a pool, smooth water, Goth.leithus, Ang.-Sax.lidh, liquor, poculum, potus, I connect the following. The rivers themselves hardly seem to bear out the special idea of smoothness, which we might be apt to infer from the root, and from the character of the mythological river Lethe.
1.England.TheLid. Joins the Tamar.Scotland.TheLeith. Co. Edinburgh.Wales.TheLaith, now called the Dyfr.Germany.Lit(aha), 11th cent. TheLeitha.Sweden.TheLida.Hungary.TheLeitha. Joins the Danube.Asia Minor.}Lethæusant., three rivers—here?Thessaly.Crete.2.With the ending en.England.TheLidden(Leden,Cod. Dip.) Worcester.Scotland.TheLeithan. Peebles.3.With the ending el.Scotland.TheLiddle. Joins the Esk.
From the Sansc.nî, to move, comesnîran, water, corresponding with the Mod. Greekνερόνof the same meaning. And that the Greek word is no new importation into that language, we may judge by the name of Nereus, a water-god, the son of Neptune. The Gr.ναω, fluo, the Gael.nigh, to bathe, to wash, and the Obs. Gael.near, water, a river, show a close relationship; the Heb.nhar, a river, also seems to be allied. Compare the Nore, a name given to part of the estuary of the Thames, with the Narra, the name of the two branches by which the Indus flows into the sea. Also with the Nharawan, an ancient canal from the Tigris towards the Persian Gulf. And with theCurische Nehrung, a strip of land which separates the lagoon called the Curische Haf in Prussia from the waters of the Baltic. On this name Mr. Winning remarks,[17]"I offer the conjecture that the wordnehrungis equivalent to our break-water, and that it is derived from the Sabine (or Old Prussian) termneriene, strength, bravery." I should propose to give it a meaning analogous, but rather different—deriving it from the word in question,narorner, water, and some equivalent of Old Norseengia, coarctare, makingnehrungto signify "that which confines the waters" (of the lake). In all these cases there is something of the sense of an estuary, or of a channel communicating with the sea—the Curische Haf being a large lagoon which receives the river Niemen, and discharges it by an outlet into the Baltic. The following names I take to be for the most part of Celtic origin.
1.England.TheNow. Derbyshire.TheNar. Norfolk.TheNore, part of the estuary the Thames.Ireland.Neagh. A lake, Ulster.Nore. Joins the Shannon.Germany.Nor(aha), 8th cent., also called theNaha.Italy.Nar[18]ant. TheNera.Spain.TheNerja. Malaga.Russia.TheNar(ova), and theNarew.Europ. Turkey.Naroant., now theNarenta.Mauretania.Niaant., now the Senegal—here?Hindostan.Narra, two branches of the Indus—here?2.With the ending en, = Sansc. nîran, water?Illyria.TheNaron.Scotland.TheNarenorNairn.3.With the ending es.Germany.TheNeers. Rhen. Pruss.
From the Sansc.nî, to move, Gael.nigh, to bathe, to wash, comes, I apprehend, the Welshnannaw,nennig,nant, a small stream.
England.TheNeneorNen. Northampton.TheNent. Cumberland.Ireland.TheNenagh. Joins the Shannon.France.TheNenny.
Closely allied tonî, to move, I take to be Sansc.niv, to flow, Welshnofio, to swim, to float, whence the names undermentioned. The Novius of Ptolemy, supposed to be the Nith, if not a false rendering, might come in here.
1.France.TheNive. Joins the Adour.Germany.Naba, 1st cent., now theNaabin Bavaria.Holland.NabaorNava, 1st cent., now theNaheorNave.Spain.TheNavia. Falls into the Bay of Biscay.Russia.TheNevaand theNeiva.Hindostan.TheNaaf. Falls into the Bay of Bengal.2.With the ending en.Persia.TheNabon. Prov. Fars.Russ. Pol.TheNiemen.[19]3.With the ending er.Scotland.TheNaver. River and lake.Wales.TheNever. Merioneth.France.Niverisant., now theNievre.Danub. Prov.Naparis(Herodotus), supposed to be the Ardisch.4.With the ending el.France and Spain.TheNivelle. Pyrenees.Holland.Nabalis(Tacitus), by some thought to be the Yssel.5.With the ending es.Scotland.TheNevis. Rises on Ben Nevis.
From the same root,nî, to move, and closely connected with the last group, I take to be Sansc.nis, to flow, to water. Zeuss (Die Deutschen) takes the word, as far as it relates to the rivers of Germany, to be of Slavonic origin. It appears to be the word found as the second part of some Slavonic river-names, as the Yalomnitza. But it is also both Celtic and Teutonic, for the Armorican hasnaoz, a brook, and the German hasnasz, wet,nässen, to be wet.
1.Scotland.TheNess. River and lake.Germany.Nisa, 11th cent. TheNeisse, two rivers, both of which join the Oder.Servia.TheNiss(ava). Joins the Morava.Sicily.TheNisi.2.With the ending st.[20]France.TheNeste. Hautes Pyrenees.Thrace.Nestusant.
From the Greekναω, fluo, comesνᾶμα, a stream,ναματιᾶιον ὕδωρ, running water. Hence seems to beNamadus, the name given by the Greek geographers to the Nerbudda of India.
Another form which I take to be derived from the above Sanscrit rootnî, by the prefixs, is Sansc.snu, fluere, stillare, (whence Germ.schnee, Eng.snow, &c.)
Germany.Znuuia, 11th cent., now theSchnei.Russia.TheZnaorTzna.
A derivative form is the Gael. and Ir.snidhorsnith, to ooze through, distil, Obs. Gael. and Ir.snuadh, to flow, andsnuadh, a river, whence I take the following. Förstemann refers to Old High Germansnidan, Modern Germanschneiden, to divide, in the sense of a boundary, which is a root suitable enough in itself, though I think it ought to yield the preference to the direct sense of water.
England.TheSnyte. Leicestershire.Germany.Sneid(bach), 8th cent., seems to be now called the Aue.Smid(aha), 9th cent., now theSchmida, which joins the Danube. For Snidaha?
The formsnidorsnithintroduces the formnidornith, and suggests the enquiry whether that may not also be a word signifying water. Donaldson, (Varronianus), referring to a word Nethuns, "found on a Tuscan mirror over a figure manifestly intended for Neptune," observes that "there can be little doubt thatnethumeans water in the Tuscan language." Assuming the correctness of the premises, I think that this must be the case; and that as the Naiades (water-nymphs), contain the Greekναω; as Nereus (a water-god), contains the wordnerbefore referred to; as Neptune contains the Greekνίπτω, in each case involving the signification of water, so Nethuns (=Neptunus) must contain a related wordnethornethunof the same meaning. Also that this word comes in its place here, as a derivative of the rootnî, and as a corresponding form to the Celticsnidhorsnith.
There are, however, two other meanings which might intermix in the following names; the one is that suggested by Baxter, viz., Welshnyddu, to turn or twist, in the sense of tortuousness; and the other is Old Norsenidr, fremor, strepitus.
1.England.TheNidd. Yorkshire.Scotland.TheNith. Dumfriesshire.Wales.TheNeath. Glamorgan.France.TheNied. Joins the Sarre.Belgium.TheNethe. Joins the Ruppel.Germany.Nida, 8th cent., now theNidda.TheNethe. Joins the Weser.Norway.TheNida.Poland.TheNidda.Greece.Nedaant., now the Buzi in Elis.2.With the ending en.Scotland.TheNethan. Lesmahago.3.With the ending rn (see note p.34).Germany.Nitorne, 9th cent., now theNidder.
There can hardly be a doubt that the wordssar,sor,sur, so widely spread in the names of rivers, are to be traced to the Sansc.sar,sri, to move, to go,sru, to flow, whencesaras, water,sarit,srôta, river. The Permic and two kindred dialects of the Finnic classhave the simple formsororsur, a river, and the Gaelic and Irish have the derived formsruth, to flow,sroth,sruth, river. In the names Sorg, Sark, Sarco, I rather take the guttural to have accrued.