Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivationsBlackie, Christina
History
Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations
Blackie, Christina
Names, Geographical
a mouth or opening; _e.g._ Llanfihangel-genaur’-glyn (the church of
the angel at the mouth of the glen), in Wales; Genappe and Gennep (the
mouth of the water, _abh_); Geneva (either the opening or mouth of the
water, or the head, _ceann_, of the water, where the Rhone proceeds
from the lake); Genoa, probably with the same meaning; Ghent or Gend,
at the conf. of the Scheldt and Lys, may also mean at the mouth of the
rivers, although, according to tradition, it acquired its name from a
tribe of Vandals, the _Gandani_, and was called in the ninth century
_Gandavum-vicum_, from the name of its inhabitants.
[Sidenote: GENT,]
in French topography, beautiful; _e.g._ Gentilly, anc. _Gentiliacum_
(the place of beautiful waters), on the Bièvre--_v._ OEUIL; Nogent
(beautiful meadow).
[Sidenote: GERICHT (Ger.),]
a court of justice; _e.g._ Gerichtsbergen (the hill of the court of
justice); Gerichtstetten (the station of the court of justice).
[Sidenote: GHAR (Ar.),]
a cave; _e.g._ Garbo (the cave), in Malta; Trafalgar, _i.e._
_Taraf-al-gar_ (the promontory of the cave).
[Sidenote: GHAR, GHUR, or GORE (Sansc.),
NAGAR, a city,]
a fort; _e.g._ Ahmednaghar (the fort of Ahmed); Ramghur (of Ram);
Kishenagur (of Krishna); Furracknagur (of Furrack); Moradnagur (of
Morad); Jehanagur (of Jehan); Allighur (of Allah or of God); Bisnaghur
(triumphant fort); Futtegur (fort of victory); Deoghur (God’s fort);
Neelgur (blue fort); Seringagur (the fort of abundance); Chandernagore
(the fort of the moon); Haidernagur (of Hyder Ali); Bissengur (the fort
of Vishnu); Chunarghur (the fort of the district of Chunar).
[Sidenote: GHARI, or GHERRY (Sansc.),]
a mountain; _e.g._ Ghaur, a mountainous district in Affghanistan;
Boughir (the woody mountain); Kistnagherry (Krishna’s mountain);
Rutnagiri (the mountain of rubies); Chandgherry (of the moon);
Shevagherry (of Siva); Neilgherries (the blue mountains); Dhawalageri
(the white mountain), being the highest peak of the Himalayas.
[Sidenote: GILL, GJA (Scand.),]
a ravine; _e.g._ Buttergill, Horisgill, Ormsgill, Thorsgill, etc.
(ravines in the Lake District named after Norse leaders); Hrafngia (the
ravens’ ravine, or of Hrafan, a Norse leader); Almanna-gja (Allman’s
ravine), in Iceland. The Hebrew _gäe_ (a ravine) answers in meaning
to this word, as in Ge-Hinnom (the ravine of the children of Hinnom),
corrupt. to _Gehenna_. This word, in the form of _goe_, is applied
to a small bay, _i.e._ a ravine which admits the sea, as in Redgoe,
Ravengoe, in the north of Scotland.
[Sidenote: GLAISE (Gadhelic),]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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