Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations

a flowing together, hence the meeting of waters; e.g. Coblentz, for Confluentes (at the conf. of the Moselle and Rhine); Conflans (at the conf. of the Seine and Oise); Confluent, a hamlet situated at the conf. of the Creuse and Gartempe.

a summit; e.g. Cop-yr-Leni (the illuminated hill), so called from the bonfires formerly kindled on the top.

a marsh; e.g. Corse (the marsh); Corston, Corsby, Corsenside (the dwelling or settlement on the marsh); Corscombe (marsh dingle), in England. In Ireland: Cork, anc. Corcach-mor-Mumham (the great marsh of Munster); Curkeen, Corcaghan (little marsh); Curragh-more (great marsh); Currabaha (the marsh of birches). Perhaps Careby and Carton, in Lincoln, part of the Danish district, may be marsh dwelling.

a horn, a corner—in topography, applied to headlands; e.g. Corneto (the place on the corner), in Italy; Corné, Cornay, Corneuil, etc., in France, from this root, or perhaps from Cornus (the cornel cherry-tree); Cornwall, Cel. Cernyu, Lat. Cornubiæ, A.S. Cornwallia (the promontory or corner peopled by the Weales, Welsh, or foreigners); Cornuailles, in Brittany, with the same meaning—its Celtic name was Pen-Kernaw (the head of the corner).

a hut; e.g. Cottenham, Cottingham, Coatham (the village of huts); Chatham, A.S. Coteham, with the same meaning; Bramcote (the hut among broom); Fencotes (the huts in the fen or marsh; Prescot (priest’s hut); Sculcoates, in Yorkshire, probably from the personal Scandinavian name Skule; Saltcoats, in Ayrshire (the huts occupied by the makers of salt, a trade formerly carried on to a great extent at that place); Kothendorf (the village of huts); Hinter-kothen (behind the huts), in Germany.

a fortress; e.g. Chicacotta (little fortress); Gazacotta (the elephant’s fortress); Jagarcote (bamboo fort); Islamcot (the fort of the true faith, i.e. of Mahomet); Noa-cote (new fort); Devicotta (God’s fortress); Palamcotta (the camp fort).

a side or coast; e.g. Côte d’Or (the golden coast), a department of France, so called from its fertility; Côtes-du-Nord (the Northern coasts), a department of France; Costa-Rica (rich coast), a state of Central America.

a place enclosed, the place occupied by a sovereign, a lordly mansion; from the Lat. cohors, also cors-cortis (an enclosed yard), cognate with the Grk. hortos. The Romans called the castles built by Roman settlers in the provinces cortes or cortem, thence court became a common affix to the names of mansions in England and France—thus Hampton Court and Hunton Court, in England; Leoncourt, Aubigne-court, Honnecourt (the mansion of Leo, Albinius, and Honulf); Aubercourt (of Albert); Mirecourt, Lat. Mercurii-curtis, where altars were wont to be dedicated to Mercury. From the diminutives of this word arose Cortiles, Cortina, Corticella, Courcelles, etc. The words court, cour, and corte were also used as equivalent to the Lat. curia (the place of assembly for the provincial councils)—thus Corte, in Corsica, where the courts of justice were held; but Corsica itself derived its name from the Phœnician chorsi (a woody place). The Cortes, in Spain, evidently equivalent to the Lat. curia, gives its name to several towns in that country; Coire, the capital of the Grisons, in Switzerland, comes from the anc. Curia Rhætiorum (the place where the provincial councils of the Rhætians were held); Corbridge, in Northumberland, is supposed to take its name from a Roman curia, and perhaps Currie, in East Lothian.

a rock; e.g. Craigie, Creich, Crathie, Gael. Creagach (rocky), parishes in Scotland; Carrick and Carrig, in Ireland (either the rocks or rocky ground); Carrick-on-Suir (the rock of the R. Suir)—v. p. 42; Craigengower (the goat’s rock); Craigendarroch (the rock of the oak-wood); Craigdou (black rock); Craigdearg (red rock); Craigmore (great rock); Craig-Phadric (St. Patrick’s rock), in Inverness-shire; Craignish (the rock of the island), the extremity of which is Ardcraignish; Craignethan (the rock encircled by the R. Nethan), supposed to be the archetype of Tullietudlem; Craigentinny (the little rock of the fire)—v. TEINE; Criggan (the little rock). In Wales, Crick-Howel and Crickadarn (the rock of Howel and Cadarn); Criccaeth (the narrow hill); Crick, in Derbyshire; Creach, in Somerset; Critch-hill, Dorset.

a small bay; e.g. Cricklade, anc. Creccagelade (the bay of the stream); Crayford (the ford of the creek); Crique-bœuf, Crique-by, Crique-tot, Crique-villa (the dwelling on the creek); Criquiers (the creeks), in France. In America this word signifies a small stream, as Saltcreek, etc.

a cross, cognate with the Lat. crux; e.g. Crosby (the dwelling near the cross); Crossmichael (the cross of St. Michael’s Church); Groes-wen for Croes-wen (the blessed cross), in Glamorgan; Crossthwaite (the forest-clearing at the cross); Croxton (cross town); Crewe and Crewkerne (the place at the cross); Croes-bychan (little cross); Kruzstrait (the road at the cross), in Belgium; Crosscanonby, Crosslee, Crosshill, places in different parts of Scotland, probably named from the vicinity of some cross; but Crossgates, Co. Fife, so called from its situation at a spot where roads cross each other. It was usual with the Celts in Ireland, as well as with the Spaniards and Portuguese in America, to mark the place where any providential event had occurred, or where they founded a church or city, by erecting a cross—as in St. Croix, Santa-Cruz, and Vera Cruz (the true cross), in South America. In Ireland: Crosserlough (the cross on the lake); Crossmolina (O’Mulleeny’s cross); Aghacross (the fort at the cross); Crossard (high cross); Crossreagh (gray cross); Crossmaglen, Irish Cros-mag-Fhloinn (the cross of Flann’s son); Crossau, Crossoge, and Crusheen (little cross); Oswestry, in Shropshire, anc. Croes-Oswalt (the cross on which Oswald, King of Northumberland, was executed by Penda of Mercia). Its Welsh name was Maeshir (long field), by the Saxons rendered Meserfield; Marcross (the cross on the sea-shore), in Glamorgan; Pen-y-groes, Maen-y-groes, Rhyd-y-croessau (the hill, the stone of the cross, the ford of the crosses), in Wales; Glencorse, near Edinburgh, for Glencross, so named from a remarkable cross which once stood there; Corstorphine, in Mid-Lothian, corrupt. from Crostorphin, which might mean the cross of the beautiful hill, torr fioum, or the cross of a person called Torphin. In the reign of James I. the church of Corstorphine became a collegiate foundation, with a provost, four prebendaries, and two singing boys. Croich in Gaelic means a gallows—thus Knockacrochy (gallows hill); Raheenacrochy (the little fort of the gallows), in Ireland.

a hill of a round form—from cruach (a haystack); e.g. Croghan, Crohane (the little round hill); Ballycroghan (the town of the little hill), in Ireland; Bencruachan (the stack-shaped hill), in Argyleshire.

an enclosed field; e.g. Crofton (the town on the croft); Thornycroft (thorny field).

crooked; e.g. Cromdale (the winding valley), in Inverness-shire; Croome, in Worcester; Cromlin, Crimlin (the winding glen, ghlinn), in Ireland; Krumbach (the winding brook); Krumau and Krumenau (the winding water or valley); Ancrum, a village in Roxburghshire, situated at the bend of the R. Alne at its confluence with the Teviot.

a hillock; e.g. Crughwel (the conspicuous hillock, hywel); Crug-y-swllt (the hillock of the treasure), in Wales; Crickadarn, corrupt. from Crug-eadarn (the strong crag), in Wales.

e.g. Coull, Cults, parishes in Scotland; Culter, i.e. Cul-tir (at the back of the land), in Lanarkshire; Culcairn (of the cairn); Culmony (at the back of the hill or moss, monadh); Culloden for Cul-oiter (at the back of the ridge); Culnakyle (at the back of the wood); Cultulach (of the hill); Culblair (the backlying field); Culross (behind the headland), in Scotland. In Ireland: Coolboy (yellow corner); Coolderry (at the back or corner of the oak-wood); Cooleen, Cooleeny (little corner); Coleraine, in Londonderry, as well as Coolraine, Coolrainy, Coolrahne, Irish Cuil-rathain (the corner of ferns); Coolgreany (sunny corner); Coolnasmear (the corner of the blackberries).

a country; e.g. Bundelcund, Rohilcund (the countries of the Bundelas and Rohillas).

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, English dale or dell, and often joined to the name of the river which flows through the district; e.g. Clydesdale, Teviotdale, Nithsdale, Liddesdale, Dovedale, Arundel, Dryfesdale, corrupt. to Drysdale (the valley of the Clyde, Teviot, Nith, Liddel, Dove, Arun, Dryfe); Rochdale, on the Roch, an affluent of the Trivell; Dalmellington (the town in the valley of the mill). It is to be noted that in places named by the Teut. and Scand. races, this root-word, as well as others, is placed after the adjective or defining word; while by the Celtic races it is placed first. Thus, in Scandinavia, and in localities of Great Britain where the Danes and Norsemen had settlements, we have—Romsdalen and Vaerdal, the valleys of the Raumer and Vaer, in Norway; Langenthal, on the R. Langent, in Switzerland; Rydal (rye valley), Westmoreland; Laugdalr (the valley of warm springs), Iceland. In districts again peopled by the Saxons, Avondale, Annandale (the valleys of the Avon and Annan). This is the general rule, although there are exceptions—Rosenthal (the valley of roses); Inn-thal (of the R. Inn); Freudenthal (of joy); Fromenthal (wheat valley); Grunthal (green valley). In Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh names, on the contrary, dal precedes the defining word; e.g. Dalry and Dalrigh (king’s level field); Dalbeth and Dalbeathie (the field of birches); Dalginross (the field at the head of the promontory or wood); Dalness and Dallas (the field of the cascade, cas); Dalserf (of St. Serf); Dailly, in Ayrshire, anc. Dalmaolkeran (the field of the servant, maol, of St. Kiaran); Dalrymple (the valley of the rumbling pool, ruaemleagh); Dalgarnock (of the rough hillock); Dalhousie (the field at the corner of the water, i.e. of the Esk); Dalwhinnie (the field of the meeting, coinneach); Dalziel (beautiful field, geal); Dalguise (of the fir-trees, giuthas); Dalnaspittal (the field of the spideal, i.e. the house of entertainment); Dalnacheaich (of the stone); Dalnacraoibhe (of the tree); Dalbowie (yellow field). Dollar, in Clackmannan, may be from this root, although there is a tradition that it took its name from a castle in the parish called Castle-Gloom, Gael. doillair (dark); Deal or Dole (the valley in Kent); Dol and Dole, in Brittany, with the same meaning; Doldrewin (the valley of the Druidical circles in Wales); Dolquan (the owl’s meadow); Dolau-Cothi (the meadows of the River Cothi); Dolgelly (the grove of hazels); Dalkeith (the narrow valley, caeth); Codale (cow field); Grisdale (swine field); Gasdale (goosefield); Balderdale, Silverdale, Uldale, Ennerdale, Ransdale (from the personal names, Balder, Sölvar, Ulf, Einer, Hrani); Brachendale (the valley of ferns); Berrydale, in Caithness, corrupt. from Old Norse, Berudalr (the valley of the productive wood); Dalecarlia, called by the Swedes Dahlena (the valleys); Dieppedal (deep valley); Stendal (stony valley); Oundle, in Northampton, corrupt. from Avondle; Kendal or Kirkby-Kendal (the church town in the valley of the R. Ken); Dolgelly (the valley of the grove), in Wales; Dolsk or Dolzig (the town in the valley), in Posen; Dolzen, in Bohemia; Bartondale (the dale of the enclosure for the gathered crops), in Yorkshire; Dalarossie, in Inverness, corrupt. from Dalfergussie, Fergus’dale; Dalriada, in Ulster, named from a king of the Milesian race, named Cairbe-Raida, who settled there. His descendants gradually emigrated to Albin, which from them was afterwards called Scotland; and that part of Argyleshire where they landed they also named Dalriada. The three brothers, Fergus, Sorn, and Anghus, came to Argyleshire in 503 A.D. Toul and Toulouse, situated in valleys, probably were named from the same root-word; Toulouse was anciently called Civitas-Tolosatium (the city of the valley dwellers, dol-saetas).

a part, a district; e.g. Kalthusertheil (the district of the cold houses); Kerckdorfertheil (the district of the village church); Baradeel (the barren district), in Germany and Holland. This word, rather than dail, may be the root of Dalriada; see above.

far; e.g. Daliz, Dalchow, Dalichow (the distant place).

an embankment, a dyke; e.g. Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Saardam, properly Zaandam (the embankment on the Rivers Rotte, Amstel, and Zaan); Schiedam, on the R. Schie; Leerdam (the embankment on the field, lar); Veendam (on the marsh, veen); Damm (the embankment), a town in Prussia; Neudamm (the new dyke); Dammducht (the embankment of the trench).

in topography, signifies belonging to the Danes; e.g. Danelagh (that portion of England which the Danes held after their treaty with Alfred); Danby, Danesbury (the Danes’ dwellings); Danesbanks, Danesgraves, Danesford, in Salop, where the Danes are believed to have wintered in 896; Danshalt, in Fife, where they are said to have halted after their defeat at Falkland; Danthorpe, Denton (Danes’ town); Denshanger (Danes’ hill or declivity); Dantzic (the Danish fort, built by a Danish colony in the reign of Waldemar II.); Tennstedt, in Saxony, corrupt. from Dannenstedi (the Danes’ station); Cruden, in Aberdeenshire, anc. Cruor-Danorum (the slaughter of the Danes on the site of the last battle between the Celts and the Danes, which took place in the parish 1012). The Danish king fell in this battle, and was buried in the churchyard of Cruden. For centuries the Erroll family received an annual pension from the Danish Government for taking care of the grave at Cruden, but after the grave had been desecrated this pension was discontinued.

a dwelling, camp, or district; e.g. Dar-el-hajar (the rocky district), in Egypt; Darfur (the district of the Foor or Foorians, or the deer country), in Central Africa; Dera-Fati-Khan, Dera-Ghazi-Khan, Dera-Ismail-Khan (i.e. the camps of these three chiefs, in the Derajat, or camp district); Deir (the monk’s dwelling), in Syria; Diarbekr (the dwellings or tents of Bekr); Dehi-Dervishan (the villages of the dervishes); Deh-haji (the pilgrims’ village); Dekkergan (the village of wolves); Deir-Antonius (St. Anthony’s monastery), in Egypt; Buyukdereh (Turc. the great district on the Bosphorus).

an oak, cognate with the Lat. drus, and Sansc. dru, doire, or daire, Gadhelic, an oak-wood, Anglicised derry, darach, or dara, the gen. of dair; e.g. Daragh (a place abounding in oaks); Adare, i.e. Athdara (the ford of the oak); Derry, now Londonderry, was originally Daire-Calgaigh (the oak-wood of Galgacus, Latinised form of Calgaigh). In 546, when St. Columba erected his monastery there, it became Derry-Columkille (the oak-wood of Columba’s Church); in the reign of James I., by a charter granted to the London merchants, it obtained its present name; Derry-fad (the long oak-wood); Derry-na-hinch (of the island, innis); Dairbhre or Darrery (the oak forest), the Irish name for the Island of Valentia; Derry-allen (beautiful wood); Derrybane and Derrybawn (white oak-wood); Derrylane (broad oak-wood); Durrow, Irish Dairmagh, and Latinised Robereticampus (the plain of the oaks); New and Old Deer (the oak-wood), in Aberdeenshire, was a monastery erected in early times by St. Columba, and given by him to St. Drostan. The old monastery was situated near a wooded hill, still called Aikie-Brae (oak hill), and a fair was held annually in the neighbourhood, called Mercatus querceti (the oak market)—v. Book of Deer, p. 48; Craigendarroch (the crag of the oak-wood); Darnock, or Darnick (the oak hillock), in Roxburghshire; Dryburgh, corrupt. from Darach-bruach (the bank of oaks); Dori, the name of a round hill covered with oak-trees, in Wales; Darowen (Owen’s oak-wood), in Wales.

a dyke or entrenchment. These dykes were vast earthen ramparts constructed by the Anglo-Saxons to serve as boundaries between hostile tribes; e.g. Hoorndyk (the dyke at the corner); Grondick (green dyke); Wansdyke (Woden’s dyke); Grimsdyke and Offa’s dyke (named after the chiefs Grim and Offa); Houndsditch (the dog’s dyke); Ditton, Dixton (towns enclosed by a dyke); Zaadik, in Holland, (the dyke) on the R. Zaad. Cartsdike, a village in Renfrewshire separated from Greenock by the burn Cart. Besides Grimesdyke (the name for the wall of Antoninus, from the R. Forth to the Clyde), there is a Grimsditch in Cheshire.

a canal, from delfan (to dig); e.g. Delft, a town in Holland, intersected by canals; Delfshaven (the canal harbour); Delfbrüke (canal bridge).

a deep, wooded valley. This word is traced by Leo and others to the Celtic dion (protection, shelter); e.g. Dibden (deep hollow); Hazeldean (the valley of hazels); Bowden or Bothanden (St. Bothan’s valley), in Roxburghshire; Tenterden, anc. Theinwarden (the guarded valley of the thane or nobleman), in Kent; Howden (the haugr or mound (in the valley), in Yorkshire; Howdon, with the same meaning, in Northumberland; Otterden (the otter’s valley); Stagsden (of the stag); Micheldean (great valley); Rottingdean (the valley of Hrotan, a chief); Croxden (the valley of the cross).

a wild animal—English, a deer; e.g. Deerhurst (deer’s thicket); Durham, in Gloucester (the dwelling of wild animals). For Durham on the Wear, v. HOLM. Tierbach, Tierhage (the brook and the enclosure of wild animals).

a term borrowed from the Lat. desertum, and applied by the Celts to the names of sequestered places chosen by the monks for devotion and retirement; Dyserth, in North Wales, and Dyzard, in Cornwall; e.g. Dysart, in Fife, formerly connected with the monastery of Culross, or Kirkcaldy—near Dysart is the cave of St. Serf; Dysertmore (the great desert), in Co. Kilkenny; Desertmartin in Londonderry, Desertserges in Cork (the retreats of St. Martin and St. Sergius). In Ireland the word is often corrupted to Ester or Isert—as in Isertkelly (Kelly’s retreat); Isertkeeran (St. Ciaran’s retreat).

from thiod, the people, a prefix used in Germany to distinguish any district or place from a foreign settlement of the same name. In Sclavonic districts it is opposed to the word Katholic, in connection with the form of religion practised by their inhabitants—as in Deutsch-hanmer (the Protestant village, opposed to Katholic-hanmer, belonging to the Catholic or Greek Church). In other cases it is opposed to Walsch (foreign—v. WALSCH), as in Deutsch-steinach and Walsh-steinach (the German and foreign towns on the Steinach, or stony water). The Romans employed the word Germania for Deutsch, which Professor Leo traces to a Celtic root gair-mean (one who cries out or shouts); e.g. Deutschen, in the Tyrol; Deutz, in Rhenish Prussia; Deutschendorf, in Hungary; Deutschenhausen, in Moravia, i.e. the dwellings of the Germans. The earliest name by which the Germans designated themselves seems to have been Tungri (the speakers). It was not till the seventeenth century that the word Dutch was restricted to the Low Germans. The French name for Germany is modernised from the Alemanni (a mixed race, and probably means other men, or foreigners).

deep; e.g. Deeping, Dibden, Dibdale (deep valley); Deptford (deep ford); Market-deeping (the market-town in the low meadow); Devonshire, Cel. Dwfnient (the deep valleys); Diepholz (deep wood); Dieppe, Scand. Duipa (the deep water), the name of the river upon which it was built; Abraham’s diep (Abraham’s hollow), in Holland; Diepenbeck (deep brook); Tiefenthal and Tiefengrund (deep valley); Teupitz (the deep water), a town in Prussia on a lake of this name; Defynock (a deep valley), in Wales.

a fortified height, a city, cognate with the Gadhelic dun; e.g. Dinmore (the great fort), in Hereford; Dynevor, anc. Dinas-fawr (great fortress), in Carmarthen; Denbigh, Welsh Din-bach (little fort); Ruthin, in Co. Denbigh, corrupt. from Rhudd-din (red castle); Dinas Bran, a mountain and castle in Wales named after an ancient king named Bran-Dinas-Powys, corrupt. from Denes Powys, a mansion built by the Prince of Powys in honour of the lady whom he had married, whose name was Denis; Hawarden, i.e. fixed on a hill, den, in Flint; its ancient name was Penarth-Halawig (the headland above the salt marsh); Dinefwr (the fenced hill), an ancient castle in the vale of the R. Tywy; Tenby (Dane’s dwelling)—v. DAN; Welsh Denbych-y-Pysod, i.e. of the fishes—to distinguish from its namesake in North Wales; Tintern, corrupt. from Din-Teyrn (the king’s mount), in Wales; Dinan in France; Dinant in Belgium (the fortress on the water); Digne, anc. Dinia-Bodionticarium (the fort of the Bodiontici), in France; London, anc. Londinum (the fort on the marsh—lon, or perhaps on the grove—llwyn). Din sometimes takes the form of tin, as in Tintagel (St. Degla’s fort), in Cornwall; Tintern (the fort, din, of the prince, Welsh teyrn), in Monmouth.

a kind of grain; e.g. Dinkelburg, Dinkelstadt, Dinkellage, Dinklar, Dinkelsbuhl (the town, place, field, site, hill, where this grain abounded).

the people; e.g. Thetford, corrupt. from Theotford (the people’s ford); Detmold, corrupt. from Theot-malli (the people’s place of meeting); Diotweg (the people’s highway); Dettweiller (the town of the Diet, or people’s meeting); Ditmarsh, anc. Thiedmarsi (the people’s marsh); Dettingen (belonging to the people)—v. ING.

an island; e.g. the Maldives (i.e. the 1000 islands); the Laccadives (the 10,000 islands); Java or Yava-dwipa (the island of rice, jawa, or of nutmegs, jayah); Socotra or Dwipa-Sukadara (the island of bliss); Ceylon or Sanhala-Dwipa (the island of lions), but called by the natives Lanka (the resplendent), and by the Arabs Seren-dib (silk island); Dondrahead, corrupt. from Dewandere (the end of the island), in Ceylon.

long, Germanised dolge; e.g. Dlugenmost (long bridge); Dolgenbrodt (long ford); Dolgensee (long lake); Dolgen, Dolgow, Dolgenow (long place).

good; e.g. Great and Little Döbern, Dobra, Dobrau, Dobrawitz, Dobretzee, Dobrezin (good place); Dobberstroh (good pasture); Dobberbus (good village); Dobrutscha (good land), part of Bulgaria; Dobergast (good inn).

a hill with a round top; e.g. Dodd-Fell (the round rock), in Cumberland; Dodmaen (the round stone), in Cornwall, popularly called Dead Man’s Point.

a cathedral, and, in French topography, a house, from the Lat. domus; e.g. Dom, in Westphalia; Domfront (the dwelling of Front, a hermit); Dompierre (Peter’s house or church); Domblain (of St. Blaine); Domleger (of St. Leger); Dongermain (of St. Germanus), in France; but the word domhnach, in Ireland (i.e. a church), has another derivation. This word, Anglicised donagh, signifies Sunday as well as church, from the Lat. Dominica (the Lord’s day); and all the churches with this prefix to their names were originally founded by St. Patrick, and the foundations were laid on Sunday; e.g. Donaghmore (great church); Donaghedy, in Tyrone (St. Caidoc’s church); Donaghanie, i.e. Domnach-an-eich (the church of the steed); Donaghmoyne (of the plain); Donaghcloney (of the meadow); Donaghcumper (of the confluence); Donnybrook (St. Broc’s church).

a mound surrounded by a marsh; e.g. Dong-weir (the mound of the weir); Dunkhof (the enclosure at the mound); Dongen (the dwelling at the mound); Hasedonk (the mound of the brushwood).

a village or small town, originally applied to any small assembly of people; e.g. Altendorf, Oldendorf (old town); Sommerstorf (summer town); Baiarsdorf (the town of the Boii, or Bavarians); Gastdorf (the town of the inn, or for guests); Dusseldorf, Meldorf, Ohrdruff, Vilsendorf (towns of the Rivers Dussel, Miele, Ohr, and Vils); Jagersdorf (huntsman’s village); Nussdorf (nut village); Mattersdorf and Matschdorf, Ritzendorf, Ottersdorf (the towns of Matthew, Richard, and Otho); Lindorf (the village at the linden-tree); Sandrup (sandy village); Dorfheim, Dorpam (village home).

the thorn; e.g. Dornburg, Dornheim or Dornum, Dornburen, Thornton (thorn dwelling); Doorn, the name of several places in the Dutch colony, South Africa; Dornberg and Doornhoek (thorn hill); Dornach (full of thorns); but Dornoch, in Sutherlandshire, is not from this root; it is said to be derived from the Gael. dorneich, in allusion to a certain Danish leader having been slain at the place by a blow from a horse’s hoof. Thornhill, Thornbury, village names in England and Scotland; Thorney (thorn island); Thorne, a town in Yorkshire; Yr Ddreinog, Welsh (the thorny place), a hamlet in Anglesey; but Thorn, a town in Prussia—Polish Torun—is probably derived from a cognate word for torres, a tower. In Ireland: Dreen, Drinan, Dreenagh, Drinney (places producing the black thorn).

for trift, meadow pasture; e.g. Moordrecht, Zwyndrecht, Papendrecht, Ossendrecht (the moor, swine, oxen pasture, and the priest’s meadow); Dort or Dordrecht (the pasture on the water), situated in an island formed by the Maas; Maestricht, Latinised into Trajectus-ad-Moesum (the pasture or ford on the Maas or Meuse); Utrecht, Latinised Trajectus-ad-Rhenum (the ford or pasture on the Rhine), or Ultra-trajectum (beyond the ford).

fallow ground; e.g. Driesch and Dresche, in Oldenburg; Driesfelt (fallow field); Bockendriesch (the fallow ground at the beech-trees).

a bridge; e.g. Drogheda, anc. Droichead-atha (the bridge at the ford); Ballydrehid (bridge town); Knockadreet (the hill of the bridge); Drumadrehid (the ridge at the bridge); Kildrought (the church at the bridge), in Ireland; Ceann-Drochaid (bridge end), the Gaelic name for the Castleton of Braemar.

a hill fort; e.g. Savendroog (golden fort); Viziadroog (the fort of victory); Chitteldroog (spotted fort); Calliendroog (flourishing fort); Sindeedroog (the fort of the sun).

wood, or a forest; e.g. Drebkau, Drewitsch, Drewitz, Drohobicz (the woody place); Drewiz, Drehnow, Drehna, with the same meaning; Misdroi (in the midst of woods).

a ridge, from droma, the back-bone of an animal, cognate with the Lat. dorsum; e.g. Drumard (high ridge); Dromeen, Drumeen, Drymen (little ridge); Dromore (great ridge); Dromagh and Drumagh (full of ridges); Dromineer, Co. Tipperary, and Drumminer in Aberdeenshire (the ridge of the confluence, inbhir); Aughrim, Irish Each-dhruim (the horses’ ridge); Leitrim, i.e. Liath-dhruim (gray ridge); Dromanure (the ridge of the yew-tree); Drumderg (red ridge); Drumlane (broad ridge); Drumcliff, i.e. Druim-chluibh (the ridge of the baskets); Drummond, common in Ireland and Scotland, corrupt. from drumen (little ridge). In Scotland there are Drumoak (the ridge of St. Mozola, a virgin)—in Aberdeenshire it was originally Dalmaile (the valley of Mozola); Meldrum-Old (bald ridge), in Aberdeenshire; Drem (the ridge in East Lothian); Drumalbin, Lat. Dorsum-Britanniae (the back-bone or ridge of Scotland); Drummelzier, formerly Dunmeller (the fort of Meldredus, who, according to tradition, slew Merlin, whose grave is shown in the parish); Drumblate (the warm ridge, or the flowery ridge); Drumcliff, Co. Sligo, i.e. Druimcliabh (the ridge of the baskets).

a door or pass; e.g. Drws-y-coed (the pass of the wood); Drws-y-nant (of the valley); Drws-Ardudwy (of the black water).

black; e.g. Ddulas, a river in Wales; Douglas, in Scotland (the black stream); Dubyn (the black lake).

the oak; e.g. Dubicza, Dubrau, Düben, Dubrow (the place of oak-trees); Teupliz, corrupt. from Dublize, with the same meaning; Dobojze, Germanised into Daubendorf (oak village); Dubrawice (oak village); Dubrawka (oak wood), Germanised Eichenwäldchen, a colony from Dubrow. In Poland this word takes the form of Dombrowo Dombroka.

a stronghold, a hill fort, cognate with the Welsh din. As an adjective, dun or don means strong, as in Dunluce, i.e. dun-lios (strong fort); Duncladh (strong dyke). As a verb, it signifies what is closed or shut in, dunadh, with the same meaning as the Teut. tun, as in Corra-dhunta (the closed weir). Its full signification, therefore, is a strong enclosed place, and the name was accordingly applied in old times to forts surrounded by several circumvallations, the remains of which are still found in Ireland and Scotland. Many such places are called simply doon or down; e.g. Doune Castle, in Perthshire; Down-Patrick, named from an entrenched dun near the cathedral; Down and the Downs, King’s Co. and West Meath; Dooneen and Downing (little fort); Dundalk, i.e. Dun-Dealgan (Delga’s fort); Dundonald (the fort of Domhnall); Dungannon (Geanan’s fort); Dungarvan (Garvan’s fort); Dunleary (Laeghaire’s fort), now Kingston; Dunhill and Dunally, for Dun-aille (the fort on the cliff); Downamona (of the bog); Shandon (old fort); Doonard (high fort); and many others in Ireland. In Scotland: Dumbarton (the hill fort of the Britons or Cumbrians); Dumfries (the fort among shrubs, preas, or of the Feresians, Caer Pheris)—v. Dr. Skene’s Book of Wales; Dunbar (the fort on the summit, or of Barr, a chief); Dunblane (of St. Blane); Dundee, Lat. Tao-dunum, probably for Dun-Tatha (the fort on the Tay); Dunedin, or Edinburgh (Edwin’s fort), so named by a prince of Northumberland in 628—its earlier names were Dunmonadh (the fort of the hill), or in Welsh Dinas-Agned (the city of the painted people), and the Castrum-Alatum of Ptolemy. The Pictish maidens of the royal race were kept in Edinburgh Castle, hence it was also called Castrum-Puellarum; Dunottar (the fort on the reef, oiter); Dunfermline (the fort of the alder-tree pool, or of the winding pool); Dundrennan (the fort of the thorn bushes); Dunlop (the fortified hill at the angle of the stream, lub); Dunkeld, anc. Duncalden (the fort of hazels); Dunbeath (of the birches); Dunrobin (Robert’s fortress), founded by Robert, Earl of Sutherland; Dunure (of the yew-trees); Dunnichen, i.e. Dunn-Nechtan (of Nechtan, a Pictish king); Dunsyre (the prophet’s hill or fort); Donegall, Irish Dungall (i.e. the fort of the strangers, the Danes); Lexdon, in Essex, Lat. Legionis-dunum (the fort of the legion); Leyden, in Holland, Lat. Lugdunum-Batavorum (the fortress of the Batavians, in the hollow, lug); Lyons, anc. Lugdunum (the fort in the hollow); Maldon, in Essex, anc. Camelodunum (the fort of the Celtic war-god Camal); Melun, anc. Melodunum (bald fort, maol), in France; Nevers, Lat. Noviodunum (new fort), in France; Thuin, in Belgium, and Thun, in Switzerland (dun, the hill fort); Yverdun, anc. Ebrodunum (the fort on the water, bior); Kempten, in Germany, anc. Campodunum (the fort in the field); Issoudun (the fort on the water, uisge); Emden (the fort on the R. Ems); Dijon, anc. Dibisdunum (the fort on two waters), at the conf. of the Ouche and Suzon; Mehun, Meudon, and Meuny, in France (the fort on the plain), Lat. Magdunum; Verdun, anc. Verodunum (the fort on the water, bior), on the R. Meuse, in France; Verden, in Hanover, on the R. Aller, with the same meaning; Autun, corrupt. from Augustodunum (the fortress of Augustus); Wimbledon, in Surrey, anc. Wibbandun (from an ancient proprietor, Wibba); Sion, in Switzerland, Ger. Sitten, corrupt. from its ancient Celtic name Suidh-dunum (the seat of the hill fort). From Daingeann (a fortress) are derived such names as Dangen and Dingen, in Ireland; also Dingle, in its earlier form Daingean-ui-Chuis (the fort of O’Cush or Hussey); it received its present name in the reign of Elizabeth; Ballendine and Ballendaggan (the town of the fort); Dangan was also the ancient name of Philipstown.

a grassy hill or mound; e.g. the Downs, in the south of England; the Dunes, in Flanders; Halidon Hill (the holy hill); Dunham, Dunwick, and Dutton, originally Dunton (hill town); Croydon (chalk hill); Dunkirk, in Flanders (the church on the dunes); Snowdon (snowy hill), in Wales; its Welsh name is Creigiawr (the eagle’s rock), eryr (an eagle); Dunse, a town in Berwickshire, now Duns, near a hill of the same name; the Eildon Hills, in Roxburghshire, corrupt. from Moeldun (the bald hill); Eddertoun, in Ross-shire (between the hills or dunes).

water; e.g. Dour, Douro, Dore, Duir, THUR, Doro, Adour, Durance, Duron (river names); Glasdur (green water); Calder, anc. Caldover (woody water); Derwent (bright or clear water); Lauder (the gray water); Ledder and Leader (the broad water); Dorking, Co. Surrey, anc. Durchinges, or more correctly, Durvicingas (dwellers by the water—wician, to dwell); Briare, on the Loire, anc. Briva-durum (the town on the brink of the water, probably Dover, from this root); Dorchester (the fortress of the Durotriges—dwellers by the water), trigo, Cym.-Cel. (to dwell), called by Leland Hydropolis; Rother (the red river); Cawdor, anc. Kaledor (woody water).

dry, sterile; e.g. Dürrenstein (the barren rock); Dürrental (the barren valley); Dürrwald (the dry or sterile wood); Droogberg (the barren hill); Drupach (dry brook).

a door or opening, an open court; e.g. Dvoretz (the town at the opening), in Russia; Dwarka (the court or gate), Hindostan; Hurdwar (the court of Hurry or Siva), called also Gangadwara (the opening of the Ganges), in Hindostan; Issoire, anc. Issiodorum (the town at door or meeting of the waters, uisge), a town in France at the conf. of the Allier and Couze; Durrisdeer, Gael. Dorus-darach (at the opening of the oak-wood), in Dumfriesshire; Lindores, in Fife, anc. Lindoruis (at the outlet of the waters), on a lake of the same name which communicates by a small stream with the Tay.

a river valley; e.g. Dyffryn-Clydach, Dyffryn-Gwy, in the valleys of the R. Clwyd and Gwy, in Wales; Dyffryn-golych (the vale of worship), in Glamorgan.

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 of the Saxon king Cissa, who founded it); Swansea (Sweyn’s town, on the water), at the mouth of the Tawey; Anglesea (the island of the Angles or English), so named by the Danes—its Welsh name was Ynys-Fonn or Mona; Portsea (the island of the haven); Battersea (St. Peter’s isle), because belonging to St. Peter’s Abbey, Westminster; Chelsea (ship island, or the island of the sandbank)—v. p. 46, CEOL, CEOSEL; Ely (eel island); Jersey (Cæsar’s isle); Olney (holly meadow); Odensee (Woden’s island or town on the water); Whalsey (whale island, hval); Rona (St. Ronan’s isle); Mageroe (scraggy island); Nordereys and Sudereys—from this word Sudereys, the Bishop of Sodor and Man takes his title—(the north and south isles), names given by the Norsemen to the Hebrides and the Orkneys under their rule; Oesel (seal island); Oransay (the island of St. Oran); Pabba and Papa (priest’s isle). The Papae or Christian anchorites came from Ireland and the west of Scotland to Orkney and Shetland, and traces of them were found in Iceland on its discovery by the Norsemen, hence probably such names as Pappa and Crimea (the island of the Cymri or Cimmerians); Morea (the mulberry-shaped island); Shapinsay (the isle of Hjalpand, a Norse Viking); Faröe (the sheep islands—faar, Scand.); Faroe, also in Sweden; but Farr, a parish in the north of Scotland, is from faire, Gael. a watch or sentinel, from a chain of watch-towers which existed there in former times; Staffa (the island of the staves or columns, Scand. stav); Athelney (the island of the nobles); Bressay, Norse Bardie’s ay (giant’s island); Bardsey (the bard’s island), the last retreat of the Welsh bards; Femoe (cattle island); Fetlar, anc. Fedor’s-oe (Theodore’s island); Romney (marsh island), Gael. Rumach; Sheppey, A.S. Sceapige (sheep island); Langeoog (long island); Oeland (water land); Torsay (the island with conical hills, torr); Chertsey, A.S. Ceortes-ige (Ceorot’s island); Lingley (heathery island), ling, Norse (heather); Muchelney (large island); Putney, A.S. Puttanige (Putta’s isle); Thorney (thorny island), but its more ancient name was Ankerige, from an anchorite who dwelt in a cell in the island.