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

a monk, from the Greek monos (alone); e.g. Monkton, Monkstown, Monkswood, Monkland, named from lands belonging to the monks; Le Mönch (the monk), one of the highest of the Bernese Alps; Monachty (the monks’ dwelling), in Wales; Llan-y-mynach (the monks’ church or enclosure), Co. Salop; Monksilver, in Somerset, corrupt. from Monk-sylva (the monks’ wood); Monkleagh (the monks’ meadow); Munsley, with the same meaning, in Hereford; Monach-log-ddu (the place of the black monks), in Wales; Munchberg (monk’s hill), in Bavaria; Munchengratz (the monks’ fortress), in Bohemia; Munich and Munchingen (belonging to the monks), in Germany.

a river mouth; e.g. Dortmund, Fischmund, Dendermund, Roermonde, Travemünde, Saarmund, Tangermünde, Ysselmonde, Rupelmonde, Orlamunda, Stolpemünde, Swinmund or Sweinemund, Ukermünde, Warnemunde, at the mouth of the rivers forming the first part of these names; Münden, in Hanover (at the mouths of the Rivers Werra and Fulda); Monmouth (at the conf. of the Mynwy and Wye); Plymouth, Falmouth, Sidmouth, Yarmouth, Grangemouth, Teignmouth, Wearmouth, Cockermouth, at the mouths of these rivers; Bishop’s Wearmouth, founded by Biscop in the middle of the seventh century; Deulemont, in France, at the mouth of the Deule; Gladmouth, in Wales, formerly Cledemuth, at the mouth of the Clede or Cleddy; Minde, in Iceland, at the mouth of Lake Miosen.

a frequent prefix in Irish names from muine (a brake or shrubbery); e.g. Moneymore, Moneybeg (the great and little shrubbery); Moneygorm (the blue shrubbery); Moneyduff (the black or dark shrubbery); Moneygall (the shrubbery of the strangers).

a mountain, from the Lat. mons, and cognate with the Gadhelic monadh, and the Cym.-Cel. mynydd; e.g. Montalto (high mount); Montauban (the mount of Albanus); Montechiaro (clear mount); Monte-fosoli (brown mount); Montehermosa (beautiful mount), in Spain; Montenegro, Turc. Karadagh, Sclav. Zerna-gora (black mount), in Turkey; Beaumont, Chaumont, Haumont (the beautiful, bald, and high mount); Montereale and Montreal (the royal hill); Montreal, in Canada, so named by Cartier in 1555; Monte-Rosa, anc. Mons-sylva (woody hill); Monte-Video (the prospect mount); Montmartre, anc. Mons-Martyrum (the hill of the martyrdom of St. Denis), but its earlier name was Mons-Martis (the hill of Mars); Montmirail, Lat. Mons-mirabilis (the wonderful mountain); Remiremont, Lat. Romaries-mons, founded by St. Romarie in 620; Monte-Cavallo, corrupt. from Monte-Calvaria (the Mount of Calvary), so called from a number of chapels, in which were represented the successive scenes of our Lord’s passion. From monticellus, the diminutive of mont, have arisen such place-names as Moncel, Le Monchel, Monchelet, etc.; Mont d’Or (golden mount), in Auvergne; Montefrio (cold mount), in Spain; Montpellier, Lat. Mons-puellarum (the hill of the young girls), so called from two villages belonging to the sisters of St. Fulcrum; Montserrat (the serrated hill); Clermont (bright hill); Mondragon and Montdragone (the dragon’s hill); Monfalcone (hawk hill); Mons, Ger. Berghen (hill town), in Belgium; Piedmont (at the foot of the Alps); Floremont or Blumenberg (flowery hill), in Alsace; Montaign and Monthen, anc. Mons-acutus (sharp or peaked hill); Montigny, Montignac (mountainous); Jeumont, anc. Jovismons (the hill of Jove), in France; Mount Pilatus (the mount with the cap of clouds, from pileus, Lat. a felt cap); Richmond, in Yorkshire, named from a castle in Brittany, from which the Earl of Richmond took his title, meaning the rich or fertile hill; Richmond, in Surrey, named by the Earl after his Yorkshire estate, formerly called Shene from the splendour of the royal residence there, seine, A.S. (splendid); Righimont, in Switzerland, corrupt. from Mons-regius (royal hill); Montacute (sharp hill), in Somerset; Tras-os-Montes (beyond the hills), in Portugal; Apremont, in France, for Aspromonte (rough hill); Pyrmont, corrupt. from Mons-Petrus (St. Peter’s mount); Montferrato (the fortified hill). Mont also signified a hill fort, like berg and dun, as in Montalcino (the fort of Alcinous), in Italy; Montgomery, in Wales, (the fortress of Roger de Montgomerie, who erected a castle there in 1093)—its earlier name was Tre-Faldwyn (the dwelling of Baldwin, a Norman knight); Charlemont, in France, named after Charles V.; Henrichemont, after Henri-Quatre. In Wales: the town of Mold, abbreviated from Mons-altus (high fort)—the Normans built a castle there; Mynydd-du (black hill); Mynydd-mawr (great hill); Mynydd-moel (bald hill). In Scotland: Monadh-ruadh (the red mount or the mounth), the Gaelic name for the Grampians; Mount Battock, Gael. Monadh-beatach (the raven’s hill); Mountbenjerlaw, in Selkirkshire, originally Ben-Yair (the hill of the R. Yair), to which the A.S. law and the Norman mount were added. But monadh in Gael. signifies a mountain range, and sometimes a moor, as Monadh-leath (the gray mountain range). Probably Mendip, in Somerset, is the deep hill, Welsh dwfn and mynydd; Monimail (bald hill); Monifieth (the hill or moor of the deer, feidh). The Mourne Mountains, in Ireland, means the mountains of the tribe; Mughhorna. Mon, in the Basque language, also signifies a hill, and is found in Monzon, an ancient town of Spain, with a hill fort; Monda and Mondonedo, in Spain; and Mondego, in Portugal; and in Carmona (hill summit), in Spain.

mossy ground; e.g. Donaumoss (the mossy meadow of the Danube); Mosston (the town on the mossy ground); Moseley (moss-field or valley); Moscow, on the R. Moskwa (mossy water); Mossow, Mehzo, Mochow, Mochlitz (the mossy ground); Mohacs, Ger. Margetta (the marshy or mossy island), in the Danube; Miesbach (the district of the mossy brook), in Bavaria. The Irish word mæthail (soft mossy land) is almost synonymous with these roots. It is found in Mohill, Co. Leitrim; Mothel in Waterford, and Mothell in Kilkenny; Cahermoyle (the stone fort of the mossy land) in Ireland, and in Muthil in Perthshire.

waste land, heath; Scot. muir; e.g. Moorby, Morton, and Moreton (the dwelling on the moor); Morpeth (the moor path); Oudemoor (the old moor), and Oostmoer (east moor), in Holland; Moorlinch (the moor ridge, hlinc); Lichtenmoer (the cleared moor); Muirkirk (the church in the moor), in Argyleshire; Murroes, corrupt. from Muirhouse, a parish in Co. Forfar; Tweedsmuir (the moor at the source of the R. Tweed), a parish in Peeblesshire; Muiravonside (the mossy land on the banks of the R. Avon), in Stirlingshire.

great; e.g. Morven (the great ben or hill), a hill in Caithness and also in Aberdeenshire; Morven or Morvern, i.e. Mor-Earrain (the great district), in Argyleshire, called by the Gaels Kenalban, corrupt. from Cenealbaltyn, i.e. the tribe of Baldan, a personal name; Kenmore (the great headland), on Loch Tay; Penmaen-mawr (the great stone-hill), in Wales.

the sea, cognate with the Lat. mare, and its derivatives in the Romance languages, and the Teut. meer; e.g. Armorica or Brittany, and Pomerania (the districts on the sea-shore); Morbihan (the little sea), in Brittany; Morlachia or Moro-Vlassi (the Wallachs’ or strangers’ land by the sea)—v. WALSCH; Morlaix (a place on the sea-shore), in Brittany; Glamorgan, Welsh gwlad-morgant (the district of Morgan Mawr, an ancient king of Wales); Morgan, in Cornwall, i.e. by the sea-shore; Maracaybo (the headland by the sea-shore), in South America; Parimaribo (the dwelling near the sea), in South America; Connemara, in Ireland, Irish Conmac-ne-Mara, the descendants of Conmac (by the sea-side).

a bridge; e.g. Dolgemost (long bridge); Maust, Most, Mostje (the place at the bridge), in Bohemia; Babimost (the old woman’s bridge, i.e. the fragile bridge), abbreviated to Bomst; Priedemost (the first bridge), in Silesia; Mostar (old bridge), a town in Turkey.

the place of assembly, where the Anglo-Saxons held their courts of justice; e.g. Mote-hill, at Scone; the Moat Hill, near Hawick; the Mote of Galloway; the Moat of Dull, in Perthshire, and of Hamilton, on Strathclyde; Moot-hill, at Naseby; and in the Lake District, Montay and Caermote; Moothill also appears in Aberdeenshire; Almoot, near Peterhead, meaning the meeting-place on the height, has been corrupted into Old Maud, and the railway company have called their station New Maud. It is found in the Gaelic name for the Island of Bute, Baile-mhoide (the dwelling of the courts of justice), but in this case, as in Ireland, the word was probably borrowed from the Saxons. The word is found in Ireland, signifying a large mound, as well as in connection with the courts of justice—as in Tom-an-mhoid (the hill of the court of justice); La Motte, Fr. (a hillock), common in France.

a mill, cognate with the Lat. mola, and its derivatives in the Romance languages; e.g. Mülenbach and Molinbech (mill brook); Mühlan, Mühldorf, Mühlhausen, Muhlheim (mill dwelling); Moleneynde (mill corner), in Germany and Holland. In England and Scotland: Melbourne, Milton, Millwick, Milford, Milden, Milnathorpe (the stream, town, ford, hollow, farm, of the mill); but Milton, in Kent and in Dorsetshire, are corrupt. from middle town; Moulin, a parish in Perthshire. In France: Moulins (the mills), so called from the great number of water mills formerly on the R. Allier; Mülhausen or Mulhouse, in Alsace, celebrated for its manufactures; Molina, a manufacturing town in Murcia; also in Spain, Molinos-del-Rey (the king’s mills). In Ireland: Mullinahone (the mill of the cave); Mullinavat (of the stick); Mullintra (of the strand); Mullinakil (of the church). In Sclavonic districts: Mlineh, Mlinki, Mlinsk, Mlinow, etc.

the top or summit, and sometimes applied to hills of a considerable height; e.g. Mullaghmeen (the smooth summit); Mulkeergh (the summit of the sheep, caoirich); Mullan (the little summit), in Ireland; probably the Island of Mull, in the Hebrides.

a wall; e.g. Maurs (the walled town), in France; also Villa-de-Muro-cincto (the dwelling surrounded by walls); Morsain, in 879 Murocinctus (surrounded by walls); Murviel (old walls), in Herault,—a place where the ruins of an ancient Gaulish city are found; Mauerhof (the enclosed court), in Germany; Trasmauer (the walled town on the R. Trasen), in Austria; Murany-var (the walled fortress), in Hungary; Muriel-de-la-fuente (the walled town of the fountain); Muriel-viejo (the old walled town); Murillo (the little walled town), in Spain; Murviedro (the old fortifications), called by the Romans Muriveteres, because they believed it to be on the site of the ancient Saguntum; Semur, in France, corrupt. from Sinemurum (without walls).

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 promontory); Langness and Littleness, in Man; Dungeness (danger cape); Furness (the cape of the beacon-fire), the site of an ancient lighthouse in Lancashire; Saturnness (the southern cape), in Kirkcudbright; Shoeburyness, corrupt. from Sceobirig (the cape of the sea-fortress); Skegness (the cape near the wood, skogr); Skipness (ship headland); Sviatanos, Sclav. (holy cape), in Russia; Caithness (the promontory of the Catti, a tribe).

a city; e.g. Barnagore for Varaha-nagur (the city of the boar); Chandernagore (of the moon); Serenagur (of the sun).

great; e.g. Nagy-Karoly (Charles’s great town); Nagy-Malton (St. Matthew’s great town); Nagy-Szent-Miklos (of St. Nicholas); Nagy-varad (great fortress); Nagy-Koros (the great town on the R. Köros).

a river; e.g. Nahr-el-keber (the great river); Nahr-el-kelb or Lycus (the river of the dog or wolf), so named from a fancied resemblance of a rock near its mouth to the head of these animals; Nahr-Mukatta (the river of slaughter); Aram-Naharaim (the high lands of the two rivers, i.e. Mesopotamia); Nahar-Misraim (the river of Egypt, i.e. the Nile).

a brook or a valley through which a stream flows; e.g. Nantmel (the honey brook); Sych-nant (dried-up brook); Nancemillin (the valley of the mill), in Wales; Dewffneynt (the deep valley) was the ancient British name of Devonshire; Levenant (smooth stream); Nant-frangon, i.e. Nant-yr-a-franc (the beavers’ valley); Nantglyn (the glen of the brook); Nant-y-Gwrtheyren (Vortigern’s valley), in Wales; Nans, in Cornwall; also in Cornwall—Penant (the head of the valley), and Cornant (a brook); Nantwich, in Cheshire (the salt-works, wich, on the brook or stream, i.e. the Weaver); Nantua (in a valley of the Alps); Nantes named from the Namnetes (dwellers in the valley); Mochnant (the swift brook); Nannau (the brooks), in Wales; Nangle, a bay on the coast of Wales, perhaps Nant-gel or cel (a secret corner)—the Rev. J. James. Nevern, a parish in Wales, for Nant-ynfer (the brook of the confluence); Nancy (the valley dwellings); Nans, Nant, with the same meaning, in France; Nanteuil (the valley of the fountain)—v. ŒUIL; Nantberis (St. Peris’s brook).

moist; e.g. Nassau (the moist meadow); Nassenfeld (moist field); Nassenhuben (the huts in moist land); Nassenbeuren (the dwelling in moist land).

a plain; e.g. Nava-de-los-Oteros (the plain of the heights); Nava-hermosa (beautiful plain); Navarre and Navarreux (the plain among hills); Navarette (the plain at the foot of the hill); Paredes-de-nava (the houses of the plain).

lower; e.g. Netherlands (the lower lands); Netherby (lower town); Niederlahnstein (the fortress on the lower R. Lahn); Nederheim, Nederwyk (lower dwellings).

a sacred grove, cognate with the Lat. nemus and the Grk. nemos; e.g. Nemours, anc. Nemoracum (the place of the sacred wood or grove); Nanterre, also in France, anc. Nemetodurum (the sacred grove on the waters); Nismes, anc. Nemausus (the place in the grove); Augustonemetum (the splendid place of the grove), being the ancient name of Clermont; Nemetacum, the ancient name of Arras; Nemea (the place of the grove), in Greece.

new, cognate with the Lat. novus and the Grk. neos and their derivatives; e.g. Neuburg, Neudorf, Neustadt, Neuville, Newbury, Newburgh (new town); Neumarkt (new market); Newbold, Newbottle, Newbattle (new building), in Germany, England, and Scotland; Newburgh, in Fife, is a town of considerable antiquity. It owes its origin to the Abbey of Lindores, in its neighbourhood. It was erected into a burgh or barony by Alexander III., in 1266, and in the charter it was called “Novus burgus, juxta monasterium de Lindores.” It seems, therefore, that there was a more ancient burgh belonging to the abbey in the neighbourhood—Newburn (new stream), in Fife. Newhaven (the new harbour), in relation to the older harbour of Leith. In the sixteenth century Newhaven had a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was then called our Lady’s port of grace; but in the year 1511 the city of Edinburgh bought up the village and harbour. In France: Nevers and Noyon, anc. Noviodunum (the new fortress); Neuvy, with the same meaning; Neuvéglise (new church); Villeneuve (new villa); Nièvre and Nivernais, a department and ancient province of France; Nienburg, corrupt. from Neuenburg (new town), in Hanover; Newport (new harbour), in Belgium; Newport, in the Isle of Wight, so named because it superseded the older harbour at Carisbrook; Newport, in Wales, which superseded Caerleon; Neusatz or Neoplanta (new station), founded in 1700, on the Danube; Neusohl (new seat), in Hungary—its native name is Bestereze-banya (the mine on the R. Bistritz); Neustadl (new stall); Neuwied (new pasture); Nimeguen, anc. Noviomagus (new field), in Holland; Novgorod and Novigrad (new fortress); Novidwar (new court), in Russia; Nowe-mjasto (new bridge), in Poland; Novobeilaiaskaia (the new town on the white stream), in Russia; Nova-Zembla, i.e. Novaia-Zemlia (the new land); Nowazamka (new castle); Novi-Bazaar (new market), in Turkey; Nowosedl (new seat); Nienburg, Nyborg, Nyby, Nystead (new town), in Denmark and Holland; Neocastro (new camp), in Greece; Nola or Novla (new place), in the Sardinian states; Naumburg and Nienburg, corrupt. from Neuenburg (new town); Nykioping (new market-town), in Sweden, and Nykjobing, in Denmark, with the same meaning; Newington, in Surrey, corrupt. from Neweton; Newfoundland, so called when rediscovered by John Cabot in 1427, but known previously by Icelandic colonists as Litla-Helluland; Nova Scotia (New Scotland), called by the Norseman Markland; New River, a large aqueduct from Hertfordshire to Islington, by which a great part of London is supplied with water; New Ross, Co. Wexford, corrupt. from its Irish name Ros-mic-Treoin (the wood of Treun’s son); Newtown-Hamilton, in Ireland, founded by the Hamilton family in 1770; Newtown-Limavady, Co. Londonderry, named from a castle in the neighbourhood called Limavady (the dog’s leap); Newtown-Stewart, Co. Tyrone, so called from Sir William Stewart, to whom it was granted by Charles I.; New York, named in honour of the Duke of York, afterwards James II.; New Zealand, called by Tasman, its Dutch discoverer, in honour, it is supposed, of his native province.

lower; e.g. Nijny-Novgorod (the lower new fortress); Nijny-Neviansk (the lower town on the Neva), as distinguished from Verkii-Neviansk, the upper; Nijnaia-ozernaia-krepost (the lower fort of the lakes); Nijny-Devitzk (the lower town on the Devitza); Nijni-Tagelsk (the lower town on the R. Tagel), in Russia.

foreign, from nemy or nêmec, dumb—a word applied by the Sclavonic races to the Germans, because their language was unintelligible to them: e.g. Niemitsch, Niemez, Niemtschitz, German towns in Bohemia; Nemet-uj-var (the new German fortress), in Hungary; but there is a Sclavonic deity called Njam, to whom the names of some of these places may be traced.

a low meadow habitually overflowed with water. It has evidently arisen out of noyer, to submerge; e.g. Noaillac, Noallau, La Noalle, Noalles, Noyelle, Noyellette, in which the word is probably joined to œuil, a water-source; Nogent (pleasant meadow); No-aux-Bois (in the woods); Les Noues, Neuillay, Neuilly, Noisy, Lat. Noesiacum.

the north; e.g. Normandy (the land given by the French to the Normans under Rollo in 912); Noordbroek (the north marshy land); Noordwolde (north wood), in Holland; Norbury, Nordenburg, Norton, Nordhausen (north dwelling or town); Norham, on the R. Tweed; Northampton (the town on the north side of the Aufona, now the R. Nen); Northumberland (the land north of the Humber); Nordkyn (north cape); Normanton and Normandby (dwellings of the Norsemen or Danes), in England; Norrköping (northern market-town), in Sweden; Norrland (a large division of Sweden); Northallerton, in Yorkshire, so called to distinguish it from Allerton-Mauleverer; North Cape (the most northerly point of Norwegian Lapland); North Berwick, Co. Haddington, so called to distinguish it from Berwick-upon-Tweed; Norway (the northern kingdom)—v. REICH, REIKE; Norfolk (the abode of the north people, as distinguished from Suffolk to the south); Northleach, north of the R. Leach; Northwich, in Cheshire (the north salt manufactory)—v. WICH; Norwich, the town which superseded Venta-Icenorum, whose inhabitants fled at the approach of the Danes, and erected a castle of defence farther north.

the walnut-tree, Lat. nucarius, from which are derived nucetum, nucelletum, and nugaretum (a place planted with walnut-trees); e.g. Noyers, Nozay, Noroy, La Nozaye, Les Nozées, Nozieres, Nozeroy, etc., in France.

a river; e.g. Maha-nuddy (great river); Nuddea (the district of the rivers).

a city; e.g. Alut-nuwera (new city); Kalawa (the city on the Kala-Oya, i.e. the rocky river); Nuwera-Panduas (the city of Panduas), in Ceylon.

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); Verneuil and Vernel (alder-tree fountain, Lat. vernus); Argenteuil (silver fountain); Bonneuil (good fountain); Nanteuil (the source of the stream); Auneuil (alder-tree fountain, Fr. aune); Auteuil (high fountain); Boisseuil (the woody fountain); Chantilly, anc. Cantilliacum (the head of the water-source).

a border, boundary, or shore—cognate with the Lat. ora and the Grk. horos; e.g. Oare and Ore (the shore), in Kent, Sussex, and Somerset; Windsor, i.e. Windle-sora (the winding shore, A.S. windle); Southover and Westover (the south and west shore); Ventnor (the shore of Gwent, the ancient name of the Isle of Wight); Pershore (the willow shore, pursh), or, according to Camden, corrupt. from Periscorum—in allusion to the abundance of pear-trees in its vicinity; Andover, anc. Andeafaran (the shore or ferry of the R. Anton); Ravensore (the point or promontory of Hrafen, a Scand. personal name); Hanover, anc. Hohenufer (high shore); Elsinore (the point near the town of Helsing), in Denmark; Argyle, Gael. Oirirgaedheal (the coast lands of the Gaels); Dover, in Kent, and Douvres, in Normandy, perhaps from ofer.

water; e.g. Oich River and Oichel (the Rivers Ock, Ocker, Ocke, Eck); Loch Oich, Duich (the black water).

a city; e.g. Ellore, Vellore, Nellore; Tanjore, anc. Tanja-nagaram (the city of refuge); Bednore (bamboo city); Mangalore (the city of Mangala-Devi).

a serpent, also a personal name; e.g. Ormeshead, in Cumberland, named either from the serpent-like shape of the rock, or from the common Norse name Ormr; Ormathwaite, Ormsby, Ormiston, Ormskirk (the clearing, the dwelling, and the church of Ormr). The same prefix in French topography signifies the elm-tree, as in Les Ormes (the elms); Ormoy, Lat. Ulmetium (the elm-grove), synonymous with Olmedo and Olmeto, in Spain. The Orne or Olna (elm-tree river), in Normandy; Ulm or Ulma (the place of elm-trees), in Wurtemburg; Olmeta, in Corsica.

a point, a corner, and sometimes a place; e.g. Angerort (the corner of the R. Anger); Ruhrort (of the Rohr or Ruhr); Grünort (green point); Schönort (beautiful point); Akkerort (the corner of the field); Tiegenort (of the R. Tiege); Störort (of the R. Stör); the Ord or headland of Caithness.

the east; e.g. Ostend (at the east end or opening of the canal into the ocean); Osterburg, Osterfeld, Osterhofen (the east town, field, and court); Osterholtz (the east wood); Osterdalen (the east basin of the R. Duhl), in Sweden; Ostheim, Osthausen, Oesthammer (the eastern dwelling or village); Ostwald (east wood), in Alsace; Essex (the country of the East Saxons, in opposition to Wessex); Austerlitz (the east town of the R. Littawa); Alost (to the east), in Belgium.

an island or lake; e.g. Ostrov, in Russia (on a river-island); Kolkoe-Ostrog (the island in the R. Kola); Ostrova (an island in the Danube); Bielo-Ozero (the white lake); Tschudskoe-Ozero (the lake of the Tschudes, a tribe); Ostrownoye (the new island). But Ostrow and Wustrow are sometimes Germanised forms of Wotschow, Sclav, (a marshy place), as in Wustrow, Ostropol, Ostrasatz, Ostrawiec (the place on the marshy ground).

a hill or rising ground; e.g. El-Otero (the rising ground); Otero-de-las-duenas (the hill of the old ladies); Otero-del-Rey (the king’s hill).

Sclavonic affixes, used as patronymics, like the Ger. ingen; e.g. Nowakwitz (the possession of the descendants of Nouak); Jvanow, Janow, Janowitz (belonging to John and his descendants); Karlowitz (to Charles); Petrowitz (to Peter); Kazimiritz (to Casimir); Mitrowitz (to Demetrius); Stanislowow (to Stanislaus); Tomazow (to Thomas); Cracow or Kracow (the town of Duke Craus or Krak of Poland, by whom it was founded in 1700).

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 the palace of Diocletian, originally Salonæ-Palatium (the palace near Salona), at first corrupted to As-palthium (at the palace), and then to Spalatro. In Wales: Plas-gwyn (the white palace); Plas-newydd (the new palace).

a small town or village, sometimes corrupted to Poly, Pilly, or Pally; e.g. Trichinopoly, i.e. Trisira-palli (the town of the giant).

a marsh; e.g. Padula and Paduli, towns in Italy; Peel, Lat. palus, an extensive marsh in Belgium; La Pala, La Palud, and Paluz, in France; Perugia (the town on the marsh), in a province of the same name in Italy; Pelusium, Coptic Permoun (the muddy or marshy place), on the Delta of the Nile.

a hollow; e.g. Pant-y-crwys (the hollow of the cross), in Wales; Pant-yr-Ysgraff for Pont-yr-Ysgraff—v. PONT.

a priest; e.g. Pabba (the priest’s island), several of this name in the Hebrides; Papa-Stour (the great island of the priest), in Shetland; Papa-Stronsay (the priest’s island near Stronsay), Orkney; Pappenheim, Pfaffenhausen, Pfaffenberg, Pfaffenhofen (the priest’s dwelling), in Germany; Papendrecht (the priest’s pasture); Pfarrkirchen (the priest’s or parish church); Poppowitz, Poppow, Sclav. (places belonging to the priests).

a river, water, or the sea; e.g. Para, Parahiba, Parana, Paranymbuna, rivers in Brazil; Paraguay (the place of waters); Parana-Assu (the great river); Parana-Mirim (the small river); Parahyba (bad water).

a swamp or marsh, cognate with the Lat. palus; e.g. Parchen, Parchau, Parchim (places in a marshy locality); Partwitz or Parzow, Paaren (the town on the marsh), in several localities. The letter p is sometimes changed into b as in Barduz, Barzig, Baruth, in Prussia, and Bars or Barsch, in Hungary.

a city; e.g. Nagapatam (the city of the snake); Masulipatam (of fishes); Periapatam (the chosen city); Viziapatam (the city of victory); Seringapatam, i.e. Sri-ranja-Pattana (the city of Vishnu); Pata or Pattana (the city); Madras or Madras-patan (the city of the college or school; madrasa, Ar., a university). Madras is called by the natives Chenna-patana (the city of Chenappa, an Indian prince).

a small fortress; e.g. Peel, in the Isle of Man, and numerous Peel towers on the border between England and Scotland. The Pile of Foudrig (the peel or tower of the fire island), called Furness, the site of an ancient lighthouse; Les Pilles, in Dauphiny; Ile du Pilier, in La Vendée, with a lighthouse; Pillas, in the Lithuanian language also, is a castle, thus—Pillkallan (the castle on the hill), in E. Prussia, as well as the towns of Pillau, in E. Prussia, Pilsen, in Bohemia, and Pillnitz (the towns with fortifications).

a head, or a promontory, or hill summit; e.g. Pen-carrig (rocky hill or cape); Pen-brynn (hill summit); Pencoid (of the wood); Penmon (the promontory of Mona or Anglesea); Pentir (the headland); Pentyrch (the boar’s head); Pen-y-cwm-gwig (the top of the woody vale), in Wales; Pen-y-groes (the headland of the cross); Penby-diog (land’s end), in Wales; Pencelly (the chief grove); Pen-y-gelly (the head of the grove, cell, a grove); Penllech (of the stone or rock); Penhill, Somerset, and Penlaw, Dumfries (the hill summit); Pendarves (the head of the oak-field); Penpont (the head of the bridge), in Dumfriesshire; Penn (a hill), in Stafford; Pencombe (the head of the hollow); Penforfa (of the moor); Pennant (of the valley); Pen-mynnydd (of the mountain); Penrith, anc. Pen-rhyd (of the ford); Penicuik (the cuckoo’s hill); Cockpen (red hill); Pen-maen-maur (the great stone head or hill); Pennigant (windy hill); Penryn and Penrhyn (the head of the promontory); Pentraeth (of the strand); Pen-y-craig or Old Radnor (the head of the rock); Penzance, formerly Pensans—it is called the saint’s headland, from a head of John the Baptist (the town’s arms), but Camden thinks it might mean the head of the sands; Pain-bœuf or Penn-Ochen (the ox’s headland); Pendennis (the fort on the headland)—v. DINAS. Mount Pindus and the Grampians, Van in Brecknock, and the Vans in Wales, embody this root; also the Apennines and the Pennine Alps, Pena and Penha, in Spain and Portugal are applied to rocks, thus—Penafiel (the loyal rock), in Spain, and also Cape Penas; Penha-verde (green rock) in Brazil.

In Germany this word signifies an enclosure for cattle—in England and France, an enclosure for the protection of game or for pleasure; e.g. Parkhurst (the enclosure in the wood); Parkfoot (at the foot of the park), Co. Stirling; Parkham (park dwelling); Parkmore (great park or field), in Ireland; Parkatotaun (the field of the burning), Co. Limerick.

a horse; e.g. Pferdsfeld (the horse’s field); Pfersdorf (the horse’s village).

a haven, landing-place, or passage—cognate with the Lat. portus; e.g. Seligenpforten (the blessed port); Sassenpoorte (the Saxons’ haven); Himmelpforte (the port of heaven); Pforzheim (the dwelling at the passage or entrance to the Hyrcenian forest), in Baden; Zandpoort (sandy haven); Porlock (the enclosed haven), in Somersetshire; Portsmouth (the mouth of the haven); Porthkerry (rocky haven), in Wales; Porthaethroy (the landing-place of the terrible water), a dangerous ferry in Wales; Portholgoch, corrupt. from Porth-y-wal-goch (i.e. the harbour of the red wall); Porthstinian (the port of Justinian), in Wales; Porth-y-cawl, corrupt. from Porth-y-Gaul (the harbour where the Gallic invaders used to land), in Wales. In Ireland: Portraine, now Rathlin (the landing-place of Rachra); Portadown (at the fortress); Portlaw, Irish Port-lagha (at the hill); Portmarnock (the haven of St. Marnock); Port-na-Spania (the port of the Spaniard), where one of the vessels of the Invincible Armada was wrecked, off the coast of Ireland; Port-Arlington, named after the Earl of Arlington in the reign of Charles II.; Port-Glasgow, anc. Kil-ma-Colm (St. Columba’s church). It received its modern name in 1668, when purchased by the merchants of Glasgow; Portmoak, in Kinross (the landing-place of St. Moak); Port-Patrick (the place from which it is said St. Patrick sailed for Ireland); Portree, in Skye, and Port-an-righ, in Ross (the king’s haven); Portnellan (the landing-place of the island), in Loch Tummel; Portmore (the great port), in Wigton; Port-na-craig (of the rock); Port-na-churaich (of the boat), in Iona, where St. Columba landed from Ireland; Port-skerrie (the rocky landing-place), in Sutherland; Snizort, in Skye, corrupt. from Snisport, probably named after a Norse leader or pirate; Port-ny-hinsey (the haven of the island), the Celtic name of Peel, in the Isle of Man; Portinscale, in Westmoreland (the passage where the skaala or booths for the Scandinavian thing, i.e. meeting, were erected); Portobello (the beautiful harbour), in South America, so named by its founder; Portobello, in Mid Lothian, named in commemoration of the capture of the South American town in 1739; Portskewitt or Porth-is-coed (the port below the wood), in Monmouth; Porth-yn-lyn (the port of the pool), in Wales; Portsoy, in Banffshire, i.e. Port-saith (the safe port); Port-dyn-Norwig (the port of the Northman), in Wales; Maryport, in Cumberland, named after the wife of its first proprietor; Portlethan, Gael. Port-leath-an (the port of the gray river), Kincardine; Port-Logan, in Wigton, i.e. Gael. Port-na-lagan (the port of the hollow). Port became an established Saxon word for a market-town—hence we have such names as Newport, Longport, applied to inland towns; Bridport, on the R. Brit. The Cinque-ports, Fr. cinq (five), were the towns of Dover, Hastings, Hythe, Romney, Sandwich. In Portugal: Oporto (the port); Portugal, anc. Portus-cale, both meaning the harbour; Porto-rico (rich port), an island of the Antilles group; Porto-Santo (the holy port), in the Madeira Isles; Porto-seguro (safe port); Porto-Vecchio (old port), in Corsica; Porto-Alegre (the cheerful port), in Brazil; Porto-farina (the port of wheat), in North Africa; Porto-ferrajo (fortified port), in Tuscany, on the coast of the Island of Elba; Port-Vendres, Lat. Portus-Veneris (the port of Venus), in France; Le Treport, corrupt. from the Lat. Ulterior-Portus, in Normandy, at the mouth of the Bresle.

a peak or promontory; e.g. the Pike o’ Stickle (the peak of the high rock); the Peak, in Derbyshire; Pike’s Peak, in the Rocky Mountains, named after General Pike; Spitz, in Austria, built around a hill; Spitzbergen (the peaked mountains); Spithead (the head of the promontory); Le Puy (the peak), a town situated on a high hill; Puy-de-dome (the dome-shaped peak).

sand; e.g. Pesth, in Hungary (on a dry, sandy soil); but Buttman suggests that the name may be derived from paz, Sclav. (a baking place), as the German name for Buda, on the opposite side of the Danube, is Ofen (the oven); Peschkowitz, Peshen, Pisck, Pskov, Peckska, in Russia and Bohemia. Pies, Sclav. (the dog), may, however, be the root-word of some of these names.

PITT, PITTEN (Gadhelic),

a hole, a small hollow. This word, as a prefix, occurs very frequently in Scotland, especially in Fife, in which county the most important place is Pittenweem (the hollow of the cave, uaimh), the seat of an ancient monastery, near which is the cave from which it was named; Pitcairn (the hollow of the cairn), near Perth, in the neighbourhood of which there are two large cairns of stones; Pitgarvie (the rough hollow); Pitglas (the gray hollow); Pettinain (the hollow of the river), a parish on the Clyde; Pittencrieff (the hollow of the tree, craobh); Pitgober (of the goat); Pitnamoon (of the moss); Pittendriech (the Druid’s hollow); Pitcaithly, probably the hollow of the narrow valley, in Perthshire; Pittentaggart (the priest’s portion)—as in ancient times, the word pitte is understood to have also meant a part or portion of land; and it has probably this meaning in Pitlochrie, in Perthshire, anc. Pittan-cleireach (the portion of the clergy or church-land), as well as in Pittan-clerach, in Fife; Pitmeddin, in Aberdeenshire, named after St. Meddane. Pittenbrae (the hollow of the hill); Petty or Pettie, anc. Petyn (the hollow of the island), on Beauly Loch, Inverness; Pettycur (the hollow of the dell, coire), in Fife.

meaning successively a hedge, an enclosed and cultivated place surrounded by trees, an enclosed garden, a park, a mansion, or country residence; e.g. Plessis, Le Plessin, Plessier, Le Plessial, etc.—v. Cocheris’s Noms de Lieu.