Any names in which the sense of _land_, terra, occurs, may, I think, be
explained most reasonably in the sense of boundary or territorial
division. To this Grimm places the FULDA of Germany, FULD(AHA), 8th
cent., referring it to Old High Germ. _fulta_, Ang.-Sax. _folde_, earth,
ground.
Perhaps also to a similar origin may be referred the MOLD(AU) in
Bohemia, and the MOLD(AVA) of Moldavia. But the Gael. and Ir. _malda_,
_malta_, gentle, slow, Anglo-Sax. _milde_, Eng. _mild_, may be perhaps
more suitable: the MULDE, which joins the Elbe, and which in the 8th
cent. appears as MILDA, seems more probably from this origin.
The BORD(AU), formerly BORDINE, which forms for some distance the
boundary between East and West Friesland, may, as suggested by
Förstemann, be derived from Old Fries. and Anglo-Saxon _bord_, border.
Another river of the same name (p. 33) may perhaps be otherwise derived.
I am inclined to bring in here the GRANTA, and to suggest that it may
have been a Sax. or Angle name of the Cam, or of a certain part of the
Cam. This river seems to have formed one of the boundaries of the
country of the Gyrvii;[66] its name appears in Henry of Huntingdon as
Grenta; and the Old Norse _grend_, Mod. Germ. _grenze_, boundary, seems
a probable etymon.
FOOTNOTES:
[65] Statistical account of Scotland.
[66] See an article by the Rev. W. Stubbs on "The Foundation and early
Fasti of Peterborough," in the Archæological Journal for Sept., 1861.
CHAPTER XI.
VARIOUS DERIVATIONS.
In this chapter I include some names which do not come under any of the
foregoing heads, or which have been omitted in their places.
The following have generally been referred to Gael. _caol_, straight,
narrow.
1. _England._ The COLE. Warwickshire.
The COLY. Devon.
2. _With the ending en._
_England._ The COLNE. Three rivers.
But even if this derivation is to be received, we must seek another
meaning for the KOLA in Russian Lapland, and the KOLI(MA) in
Siberia--the latter in particular being a large river, with a wide
estuary.
The Gael. and Ir. _beag_, little, forms the ending of some Irish
river-names, as the AWBEG, the OWENBEG, and the AROBEG.[67] The meaning
in all these cases is "little river"--_owen_ being the same as _avon_,
_aw_ the simple form _av_ of the same word, and _aro_ an appellative as
at p. 38, now lost in the Celtic.
From the Gael. _suail_, small, have also been derived the Swale and
other following rivers. Chalmers rightly objects to this as inconsistent
with the character of the rivers, though the derivation which he
proposes to substitute, from _ys-wall_, a sheltered place, affords, it
must be admitted, no very happy alternative. I think the word contained
must be related to Old High German _swal_, Old Norse _svelgr_, gurges,
Eng. _swell_, though it is wanting in the Celtic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account