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

an assembly of people, cognate with the Welsh torf (a crowd or troop), Gael. treubh (a tribe), and troupe, French; and then gradually coming to denote a farm or village; e.g. Thorp, in Northamptonshire; Calthorpe (cold village); Langthorpe (long village); Ingelthorpe, Kettlesthorpe, Swansthorpe, Bischopsthorpe (the farm or village of Ingold, Kettle, Sweyn, and the bishop); Nunthorpe (the nun’s village); Raventhorpe (Hrafen’s village); Thorparch, in Yorkshire (the village bridge), on the R. Wharfe; Milnethorpe (the village of the mill); Althorpe (old villages); Basingthorpe (the village of the Basings, a patronymic); Copmanthorpe (of the merchant).

a cleared spot or an isolated piece of land, akin to the Danish tvede, a peninsula; e.g. Harrowthwaite, Finsthwaite, Ormathwaite, Sattersthwaite, places cleared and cultivated by the Scandinavians, whose names they bear; Applethwaite (of apples); Calthwaite (cold clearing); Birkthwaite (of birches); Micklethwaite (great clearing); Crossthwaite, in Cumberland, where St. Kentigern is said to have erected a cross; Lockthwaite (Loki’s clearing).

a fountain or well, from the old word doboir, water. Wells and fountains were held in great veneration by the Celts in heathen times, and are the subjects of many traditions in Ireland and Scotland. Many of the early preachers of Christianity established their foundations near these venerated wells, which were the common resorts of the people whom they had come to convert. In this way the new religion became associated in the minds of the converts with their favourite wells, and obtained the names of the saints, by which they are known to this day; e.g. Tobermory (St. Mary’s well), in the Island of Mull; Tobar-na-bhan-thighern (the chieftainess’s well), in Badenoch; Ballintobar (the town of the well), Co. Mayo, now called Tobermore (the great well), which had a well blessed by St. Patrick; Tibbermore or Tippermuir (the great well), in Perthshire; Tobar-nam-buadh, in Skye (the well of virtues); Tipperary, anc. Tiobrad-Arann (the well of the district of Ara); Tipperkevin (St. Kevin’s well); Tipperstown, anc. Baile-an-tobair (the town of the well); Tobercurry (the well of the cauldron); Toberbilly (the well of the old tree); Tobernaclug (the well of the bells, clog). Bells were held sacred by the Irish on account of a certain bell favoured by St. Patrick. Perhaps the rivers Tiber and Tiverone, as well as Tivoli, anc. Tibur, may come from this root.

an enclosure or farm; e.g. Lowestoft, Dan. Luetoft (the enclosure or place of the beacon-fire, which in early times was placed on the promontory where the town stands); Langtoft (long farm); Monk’s Tofts (the monk’s farm), and West Tofts, in Norfolk; Ecclestofts (the church farm buildings), in Berwickshire; Ivetot, anc. Ivonis-tot (the farm of Ivo and Hautot (high farm), in Normandy; Sassetot (the Saxon’s farm); Littletot (little farm); Berguetot (birch farm), in Normandy.

a knoll or mound; e.g. Tomintoul (the knoll of the barn), Gael. Tom-an-t-sabhail, Co. Banff; Tomachuraich (the boat-shaped knoll), Inverness-shire; Tom-ma-Chessaig (St. Kessag’s mound), at Callander; Tom-na-faire (the knoll of the watch-tower), on Loch Etive; Tomatin (the knoll of the fire, teine); Tomnacroiche (of the gallows); Tom-da-choill (of the two woods); Tombreck (speckled knoll); Tomgarrow (rough knoll); Tomnaguie (windy knoll), in Ireland; Tom-bar-lwm (the mound of the bare hill); Tommen-y-Bala (the mound of Lake Bala, having been raised as representative of Mount Ararat); Tommen-y-mur (of the rampart).

an enclosure, a town. The primary meaning of this word comes from the Gothic tains, Scand. teinn, Ger. zaun, a fence or hedge formed of twigs. Originally it meant a place rudely fortified with stakes, and was applied to single farm-steadings and manors, in which sense tun is still used in Iceland, and toon in Scotland. The word toon retained this restricted meaning even in England in the time of Wickliffe. These single enclosures became the nucleus of a village which, gradually increasing, became a town or city, in the same manner as villages and towns arose around the Celtic duns, raths, and lises. This root, in the names of towns and villages, is more common than any other in Anglo-Saxon topography, being an element in an eighth part of the names of dwelling-places in the south of Great Britain. The greatest number of these names is connected with those of the original proprietors of the places, of which but a few examples can be given here. In such cases, the root ton is generally preceded by s or ing—qu. v.; e.g. Grimston, Ormiston, Ribston, Haroldston, Flixton, Kennington (the property of Grim, Orm, Hreopa, Harold, and Felix); Canewdon (of Canute); Addlington and Edlington (of the nobles); Dolphinton, Covington, and Thankerton, parishes in Lanarkshire, took their names from Dolphine, Colban, and Tancred, to whom the lands were given in very early times; Symington and Wiston, in Lanarkshire, are found mentioned in old charters, the one as Symington, in Ayrshire, named from the same Simon Lockhart, the progenitor of the Lockharts of Lee; Cadoxton, i.e. Cadog’s town, in Wales; Ecclesia de uilla Simonis Lockard (the church of Simon Lockhart’s villa), and the other, Ecclesia uilla Withce (the church of Withce’s villa); Haddington (the town of Haddo); Alfreton, Wimbledon, Herbrandston, Houston (of Alfred, Wibba, Herbrand, Hugh); Riccarton, in Ayrshire, formerly Richardston, took its name from Richard Waleys, i.e. Richard the Foreigner, the ancestor of the great Wallace); Stewarton, in Ayrshire, had its name from the family which became the royal race of Scotland; Boston, in Lincoln (named after St. Botolph, the patron saint of sailors); Maxton, a parish in Roxburghshire (the settlement of Maccus, a person of some note in the reign of David I.); Flemingston and Flemington (named from Flemish emigrants); Woolston (from St. Woolstan); Ulverston (from Ulphia, a Saxon chief); Wolverhampton and Royston (from ladies who endowed religious houses at these places); Minchhampton (the home of the nuns, minchens); Hampton (the enclosed home); Preston and Presteign (priest’s town); Thrapston (the dwelling at the cross-roads); Broughton (the town at the fort or mound), a parish in Peeblesshire, with a village of the same name; Albrighton (the town of Aylburh); Harrington (of the descendants of Haro); Barton and Barnton (the enclosure for the crop; literally, what the land bears); Shettleston, in Lanarkshire, Lat. Villa-filii-Sadin (the villa of Sadin’s son); Bridlington (the town of the Brihtlingas, a tribe), sometimes called Burlington; Adlington (town of Eadwulf); Prestonpans, in Mid Lothian, named from the salt pans erected there by the monks of Newbattle; Layton, in Essex, on the R. Lea; Luton, in Bedford, also on the Lea; Makerston, in Roxburghshire, perhaps from St. Machar; Johnstone, in Renfrew (founded by the Laird of Johnston in 1782); Liberton, near Edinburgh, where there was an hospital for lepers; Honiton, Co. Devon, Ouneu-y-din (the town of ash-trees); Kensington (of the Kensings); Edmonton, in Middlesex (Edmond’s town); North and South Petherton, in Somerset (named from the R. Parret), anc. Pedreda; Campbeltown, in Argyleshire, received its name from the Argyle family in 1701—its Gaelic name was Ceann-Loch (the loch head); Launceston—v. LANN; Torrington, in Devon (the town on the hill, tor, or on the R. Torridge); Watlington (the village protected by wattles). Of towns named from the rivers near which they are situated, Collumpton, Crediton, Frampton, Taunton, Lenton (on the Culm, Credy, Frome or Frame, Tone, and Lee); Northampton (on the north shore of the R. Aufona, now the Nen); Okehampton, on the R. Oke; Otterton, Leamington, Bruton, Moulton, Wilton, on the Otter, Learn, Brue, Mole, and Willy; Darlington or Darnton, on the Dar; Lymington, in Hants, anc. Lenton (on the pool); Southampton (the south town on the Anton or Test, which with the Itchen forms Southampton Water); Ayton, in Berwickshire, on the R. Eye.

the poplar-tree; e.g. Töplitz, Neu and Alt (the place of poplars), in the basin of the R. Elbe, to be distinguished from Teplitz, in Bohemia—v. TEPLY, which is sometimes misnamed Töplitz.

a market-place; e.g. Torgau, Torgovitza, Torgowitz (market-towns).

a mound, a heap, a conical hill, cognate with the Lat. turris, the Ger. thurm, and the Grk. pyrgos (a tower); Tor, in Ireland, means a tower also; e.g. Toralt (the tower of the cliff); Tormore (great tower or tower-like rock); Tornaroy (the king’s tower); Tory Island, off the Irish coast, had two distinct names—Torach (i.e. abounding in tower-like rocks), and Toirinis (the island of the tower), so named from a fortress called Tor-Conaing (the tower of Conaing, a Fomorian chief); Torran, Tortan (little tower), applied to little knolls, as in Toortane and Turtane; Mistor and Mamtor, in Devonshire; Croken Torr, in Cornwall (a hill where meetings were held—gragan, Welsh, to speak); Torphichen (the raven’s hill), a parish in West Lothian; Torbolton, in Ayrshire, tradition says is the town of Baal’s mound. There is a beautiful hill in the parish where superstitious rites are still held; a bonfire is raised, and a sort of altar erected, similar to those described in the sacrifices to Baal on Mount Carmel; Torbay, in Devonshire, named from the hill which overlooks the bay, which gives its name to Torquay; Torrdubh and Torrduff (black hill); Torbane and Torgorm (the white and the blue hill); Torbreck (speckled hill); Torinturk (the wild boar’s hill); Kintore (at the head of the hill), in Aberdeenshire; Turriff, in Banffshire, is the plural form of toir. From the Lat. turris and its derivatives, come Tordesillas (the tower of the bishop’s see), in Spain; Torquemada, Lat. Turris cremata (the burned tower); Torr-alba and Torre-blanca (the white tower); Torrecilla, Lat. Turricellæ (the church-towers), in Spain; Torres-novas and Torres-vedras (the new and old towers), in Portugal; Torella (the little tower), Naples; Truxillo, in Spain, i.e. Turris-Julii (the tower of Julius); Tourcoing (corner tower), in France; La-tour-Sans-Venin, near Grenoble, is a corrupt. of Tour-Saint-Verena—to this saint the chapel was dedicated; Tournay, in Belgium, Lat. Turris Nerviorum (the tower of the Nervii); Torres-Torres (the fortifications of the mountains), Tours, in France, is not named from this root, but from the Turones, a tribe; but Torres Strait was named after the navigator Torres, who discovered it in 1606. In the Semitic languages also Tzur means a rock; it is the root of the names of the city of Tyre, and of Syria, of which in early times it was the chief city. Taurus or Tor is a general name for a mountain chain; Tabris (the mountain town), a city of Persia.

a strand; e.g. Traeth-mawr (great strand); Traeth-bach (little strand); Trefdraeth (the dwelling on the strand), in Wales; Traeth-coch (red strand), in Anglesea. In Ireland: Tralee, Co. Derry, is from Traigh-liath (the gray strand); Tranamadree (the strand of the dogs), Co. Cork; Ballintra, when it occurs on the coast, means the town on the strand, but inland it comes from Baile-an-tsratha (the town on the river-holm); Ventry, Co. Kerry, is from Fionn-traigh (white strand); as also Trabane, Trawane, and Trawbawn, which derive their names from the whitish colour of the sand; Fintray, a parish in Aberdeenshire on the R. Don, is also white strand; but Fintray, in Dumbartonshire, was formerly Fyntref or Fyntre, probably the dwelling, tre, on the Fenach, which is the boundary-stream of the parish on one side; Traeth-Saith, in Wales, named after a mythological patriarch.

a tank for watering animals; e.g. Kleintrank (little tank); Rosstrank (horse tank); Trankmühle (mill tank).

grass; e.g. the Traun and the Trave (i.e. the grassy rivers); Traunkirchen (the church on the Traun); Traunik, Trawitz (the grassy place); Traunviertel (the district of the R. Traun), in Silesia and Austria.

a dwelling, a town; e.g. Treago, anc. Tref-y-goll (hazel-tree dwelling), in Monmouth; Tre-n-eglos (church town), in Cornwall; Tremaine (stone dwelling), Cornwall; Tref-y-clawdd (the town of the dyke, i.e. Offa’s dyke), the Welsh name for Knighton, in Pembrokeshire; Oswestry might come naturally from this word, but the Welsh call it Croes-Oswald (the place of St. Oswald’s martyrdom); Coventry, too, might be from the same root, but Camden says it is a corruption of Conventria (the district of the convent); Daventry, abridged from Dwy-avon-tre (the dwelling on the two rivers); Truro, i.e. Tre-rhiw (the dwelling on the sloping bank, or on the stream); Redruth, in Cornwall, anc. Tref-Derwydd (the Druid’s town); Trefrhiw (the town on the stream), in Caernarvon; Tremadoc (Madoc’s dwelling); Trecoid (the dwelling in the wood); Braintree, Co. Essex (hill dwelling); Dreghorn, in Ayrshire, anc. Trequern (the dwelling near alder-trees); Thrisk, in Yorkshire, anc. Tref-Ysk (the dwelling by the water); Tranent, in Mid Lothian, corrupt. from Treabhairnant (the dwellings in the valley); Crailing, in Berwickshire, anc. Traverlin (the dwellings on the pool); Tring, Co. Herts, anc. Treungla or Treangle (the village at the corner), Welsh ongl, Lat. angulus; Trelech (the dwelling at the stone, called Harold’s grave); Tre-Taliesin (the dwelling of Taliesin, the celebrated Welsh bard); Trenewydd (new dwelling), in Wales; Rhuddry, a parish in Glamorgan, probably corrupt. from Yr-yw-tre (the yew-trees’ home); Tre’r Beirdd (bard’s town); Trefawr, Trefach (great and little town); Tredegar, i.e. Tre-deg-fair-ar (land), (the choice abode); Tre-Wyddel (the forester’s abode); Trefhedyn, i.e. Tref-y-din (hill town).

the elder-tree; e.g. Trim, in Co. Meath, corrupt. from Ath-trium (the ford of the elder-trees); Trummery and Trimmer (places abounding in elder-trees); Tromann, Trumman (the little elder-tree).

a mound raised over a grave, cognate with the Lat. tumulus; e.g. Tuam, Co. Galway, anc. Tuaim-da-ghualann (the tumulus of the two shoulders, from the shape of the ancient sepulchral mound); Toome, on the R. Bann; Tomfinlough (the tumulus of the clear lake); Tomgraney (the tomb of Grian); the Tomies (hills on Lake Killarney); Toomona (the tomb of the bog); Toomyvara, i.e. Tuaim-ui-Mheadra (O’Mara’s tomb).

a bleach-green, Anglicised toor; e.g. Tooreen (little bleach-green); Tooreenagrena (the sunny little bleach-green); Monatore (the bog of the bleach-green); Tintore, for Tigh-an-tuair (the house at the bleach-green), in Ireland.

a little hill or mound, and also a measure of land—Anglicised tulla, tullow, tully, or tulli; e.g. Tullow (the hill); Tullamore (great hill); Tullanavert (the hill of the graves, ferta); Tullaghcullion and Tullycullion (of the holly); Kiltullagh (church hill); Tullaghan (little hill); Tallow, Co. Waterford, more correctly Tealach-an-iarainn (the hill of the iron, from the neighbouring iron mines); Tullyallen, on the Boyne, and Tulliallan, in Perthshire, i.e. Tulaigh-álainn (the beautiful hill); Tullyard (high hill); Tillicoultry (the hill at the back of the land), in Clackmannan; Tullibardine (the bard’s hill); Tulloch-gorum (the blue hill); Tullybody (the hill of the black cow, bo dubh); Tillyfour (the grassy hill, feoiridh). Tully or tilly, however, is sometimes a corruption of teaglach (a family), as in Tullynessle and Tillymorgan—v. W. Skene, LL.D.

a mossy flat, the name given to the vast plains on the Arctic Ocean.

a town or settlement; e.g. Tura, a river in Russia, so called by the Tartars because they made a settlement at the place; Tura, also in Hungary; O’Tura (old town); Turinsk (the town on the R. Tura), in Russia.

a boundary; e.g. Twistleton (the town on the boundary); Oswaldtwistle (Oswald’s boundary); Haltwistle (high boundary); Birchtwistle (birch-tree boundary); Ectwistle (oak-tree boundary).

U

a cave; e.g. Cluain-uamha (the pasture of the cave), the ancient name of Cloyne, Co. Cork; Drumnahoe, i.e. Druim-na-huamha (the ridge of the cave); Mullinahone (the mill of the cave); Lisnahoon (the fort of the cave), in Ireland. Wem, in Salop, and Wembdon, in Somerset, as well as other place-names with the prefix wem, may be derived from the A.S. wem (a hollow), analogous to the Cel. uaimh. Wamphray, in Dumfriesshire, Gael. Uamh-fridh (the forest-cave).

high, cognate with the Gael. uchda (a height); e.g. Ucheltref and Ochiltree (the high dwelling); the Ochills, a hill range in Perthshire, Lat. Ocelli-montes.

water; e.g. Esk, Usk, Esky, Esker, Eskle, Oise, Ouse, Issy, Ax, Axe, Ux, Ex, Use, Ousel, Wisk, Eska, Esla, Aisne, Isar, Isère, Isen, Etsch (river names); Duffus and Doubs (black water); Marosh (marshy water); the Theis, anc. Tibiscus; Adige, anc. Athesis; the Po, anc. Padusa; Loch Ewe, and Ewes, a parish in Dumfries watered by a stream of this name; Wisbeach (on the beach of the Wysg or Wash), now some miles from the beach by the gradual advance of the land; Knockaniska (the hillock on the water); Killiskey and Killiskea (the church on the water), in Limerick; but Balihiskey, in Tipperary, is from Bealach-uisce (the road of the water); the Rivers Minho and Mincio, anc. Minius and Mincius (little stream); Duffus (dark water); Istria (half land, half water); Argense or Argenteus (silver stream), in France; Caldas (warm waters), in Spain and Portugal; Ischia (the island of waters), abounding in mineral springs; Issny, on the R. Leine, anc. Issiacum (on the water); Metz, anc. Mettis (between the waters), also named Divodurum (on the two rivers); Osimo, in Italy, anc. Auximum, and Osna, in Spain, anc. Uxama (on the water).

water; e.g. Astura (rocky water), a river which gives its name to the Asturias; Illuria (the town on the water); Illuro, with the same meaning, now Maturo, in Spain; Osuno, anc. Ursonum, and Tarazona, anc. Turiaso (the place of good waters), in Spain—osoa, Basque (good); Oloron, anc. Illura (the town on the water)—illia, Basque (a town).

a city; e.g. Orvieto, Lat. Urbs-vetus (the old city).

V

a valley; e.g. Vallais (the land of valleys), in Switzerland—its inhabitants were formerly called Nantuates, i.e. valley dwellers; Val-de-Avallano (the valley of hazels); Val-de-fuentes (of fountains); Val-del-laguna (of the lagoon); Val-del-losa (of the flagstone); Val-del-Moro (of the Moor); Val-de-Olivas (of olive-trees); Val-de-penas (of the rocks); Val-de-robles (of the oak-trees), in Spain; Val-de-lys (the valley of streams), in the Pyrenees, from an old Provençal word lys (water); Vallée-de-Carol (of Charles), through which Charlemagne passed from his conquest of the Moors; Vallombrosa (the shady valley); Valparaiso (the valley of Paradise); Valtelline, in Lombardy, consisting of a long valley, traversed by the R. Adda and Teglio; Vaucluse, Lat. Vallis-clusa (the enclosed valley); Orvaux, Lat. Aure-vallis (the golden valley); Riéval, Lat. Regia-vallis (the royal valley); Vals (in the valley of the Volane); Vaucouleurs, Lat. Vallis-coloris (the valley of colour), in a valley of the R. Meuse, whose green and smiling meadows have given it this name; Gerveaux or Yorvaux, in Durham, Lat. Uri-vallis (the valley of the R. Ure); Pays-de-Vaud (the country of valleys or of the Waldenses); Clairvaux, Lat. Clara-vallis (the bright valley); Roncesvalles (the valleys abounding in briers); Vaudemont, Lat. Vallis-de-monte (the valley of the mountain); Val-di-chiana (the valley of the standing pool), in Italy.

a fortress; e.g. Kolos-var, Ger. Klausenburg, anc. Claudipolis (the enclosed fortress, or the city of Claudius); Nagy-varad (great fortress); Vasvar, Ger. Eisenburg (iron fortress); Szamos-Ujvar (the new fortress), on the R. Zamos; Sarivar (palace fortress); Foldvar (the land fortress); Szekes-Fehervar, Ger. Stuhl-Weissenburg (the white fortress of the throne); Karoly-Fehervar or Karlsburg (Charles’s white fortress); Varosvar, Ger. Eisenthurm (the red fortress or iron tower), in Hungary; Ersek-Ujvar, Ger. Neuhausel (the bishop’s new fortress or seat).

a town; e.g. Ujvaros (the new town); Also-varos (lower town); Szasz-varos, Ger. Sachsenstadt (the Saxon’s town.

a lake; e.g. Vatnsdalr (the valley of lakes); Arnarvatn (eagle lake); Fiskvatn (fish lake); Langavat (long lake); Steepavat (steep lake); Sanvatn (sandy lake); Miosen-Vand (little lake); Helgavatn (holy lake); Vatster (the lake dwelling); Myvatn (the lake of the midges); Vatnagaard (the farm on the lake).

a plain; e.g. Vega-de-la-neustra-Senora (the plain of our Lady); Vega-Espinarada (the plain surrounded by thorns).

great; e.g. Velikaia (the great river); Velikja-luki (the great marsh), in Russia; Welkawes (the great village or dwelling), in Sclavonia; Welka, Welkow, Welchau, Welchow, etc., with the same meaning.

the alder-tree, Cel. gwern; e.g. Verney, Vernez, Vernois, Vernoy, Verneuil, Vernieres, etc., the names of various places in France.

holy; e.g. Wydale (the holy valley); Wyborg, Weighton, Wisby, Wigthorpe (holy dwelling); Wigan, anc. Wibiggan (the holy building), in Lancashire; Wigton, in Cumberland (holy town); but Wigton, in Scotland (the town on the bay, vig); Sviga (holy river), in Russia; Sviajsk (the town on the holy river); Sveaborg and Viborg (holy town); Sviatos-nos (holy cape); Sviatskaia (holy town, or of the deity worshipped by the Sclavonians, called Sviatovid), in Russia.

a farm, manor, or town, with its derivatives in the Romance languages; e.g. Villa-hermosa (the beautiful town); Villa-franca-de-panades (the free town of the bakers), in Spain. In France: Charleville (named after Charles, Duc de Nevers); Flamanville (founded by a colony of Flemings), in Normandy; Joinville, Lat. Jovis-Villa (the city of Jove, named from a Roman tower near the town); Luneville (the city of the moon), supposed to have been named from a temple to Diana; Offranville, in Normandy, Lat. Vulfrani Villa (the manor of Wulfran); Auberville and Aubervilliers (the manors of Albert); Thionville (the manor of Theodone), Lat. Theodonis Villa; La Ville-tertre (hill town); Deville, formerly Dei Villa (the city of God); Marteville, Lat. Martis Villa (of Mars); Villa-Viçosa (abundant town), in Spain and Portugal; Villa-rica (rich town); Yeovil, in Somerset (the town on the R. Yeo); Maxwell, in Kirkcudbright and in Roxburghshire, corrupt. from Maccusville (the manor or settlement of Maccus, to whom the lands were given by David I.); Philipville or Philipstadt, in Belgium (named by Charles V. after his son); Louisville, in the United States (named after Louis XVI., whose troops assisted the Americans in the War of Independence).

a vineyard; e.g. Le Vignæ, La Vignelle, Les Vigneaux, Vigneaux, Vigny, Vinax, and places abounding in the vine; La Vigne, in France.

a bay; e.g. Leirvogr (mud bay); Laxvoe (salmon bay); Siliavoe (herring bay); Grunavoe (green bay); Westvoe (west bay); Aithsvoe (the bay on the aith or headland); Sandvoe (sandy bay); Kaltenwaag (cold bay); Vaage (on the bay), a town in Norway.

in front of; e.g. Vormbach, Vormbusch, Vormhorst, Vormhagen (in front of the brook, thicket, wood, and hedge).

W

a ford, cognate with the Lat. vadum and the Gadhelic ath; e.g. Wadebridge (the bridge at the ford), in Cornwall; Wath-upon-Dearne (the ford of the R. Dearne), in Yorkshire; Carnwath (the ford at the cairn), in Lanarkshire; Lasswade (the ford on the pasture-land, laes), in Mid Lothian; Wath (the ford), on the Yorkshire Ouse; Langwaden (long ford), in Germany; Wageningen, Lat. Vadu (on the ford), in Holland, on the R. Leck.

a river-course or ravine; e.g. Wâdi-el-Ain (the ravine of the fountain); Wâdi-Sasafeh (of the pigeons); Wâdi-Sidri (of the thorn); Wady-Solab (of the cross); Wâdy-Shellal (of the cataract); Wâdy-Magherah (of the caves); Wady-Sagal (of the acacia); Wady-Mousa (of Moses); Wâdy-Abou-hamad (of the father fig-tree, named from a very old tree); Wady-Mokatteb (of the writing, from the number of inscriptions made by pilgrims); Wady-hamman (of the wild pigeons).

a wood or waste land; e.g. Walden-Saffron, in Essex (the waste land on which saffron was afterwards cultivated); the Weald, Wold, and Wealdon (the waste lands), in Essex, Kent, Lincoln, and Yorkshire; Waltham and Walthamstow (the dwelling-place near the wood); Waldstadt, Waldheim, Walddorf (dwellings near the wood), in Germany; Waldeck (woody corner, or corner of the wood); Waldshut (the forest hut), in Switzerland; Boëmerwald (the Bohemian forest); Waldau (woody meadow); Waldsassen (the settlement in the wood); Unterwalden (under or below the wood); Zinnwald-Sachsisch (the wood near the Saxon’s tin mine); Finsterwalde (the dark wood); Greifswald (the griffin’s wood); Habechtswald (hawk’s wood); Lichtenwald (the cleared wood); Rugenwalde (the wood of the Rugii, a tribe), in Pomerania; Regenwalde and Saalwalde (the woody districts of the rivers Rega and Saale); Methwald (in the midst of woods), in Norfolk; Leswalt (the pasture, laes, in the wood), in Wigtonshire; Mouswald (the wood near Lochar Moss), in Dumfriesshire; Wooton-Basset, in Wilts (the woody town of the Basset family, so called from the quantity of wood in the neighbourhood).

an embankment, a rampart, a wall, cognate with the Lat. vallum, the Gadhelic balla, and the Welsh gwal; e.g. Walton, on the Naze, where there was a walled enclosure to defend the northern intruders from the assaults of their hostile Saxon neighbours; Walton, also, in the east corner of Suffolk (the town near the wall); also Walton, on the Thames; Walton-le-dale and Walton (on the hill), in Lancashire; Wallsend (at the end of the wall), in Northumberland; Walford, in Hereford (the ford near a Roman fortification); Wallsoken (the place near the wall, where the judicial courts were held)—v. SOC; Walmer (the sea-wall), in Kent; Wallburg, Walldorf (walled towns), in Germany; Wallingford, in Berks, anc. Gallena, Welsh Gwal-hen (the old wall or fortification), A.S. Wealingaford; Wallmill, Wallshiels, Wallfoot, Wallhead, places in Northumberland near the wall of Adrian; Walpole (the dwelling, bol, near the wall), in Norfolk, a sea-bank raised by the Romans as a defence from the sea; but Walsham and Walsingham, in Norfolk, take their name from the Waelsings, a tribe. This place was called by Erasmus Parathalasia, Grk. (by the sea-beach).

foreign. These words were applied by the Teutonic and Sclavonic nations to all foreigners, and to the countries inhabited or colonised by those who did not come from a Teutonic stock or speak their language. In the charters of the Scoto-Saxon kings the Celtic Picts of Cambria and Strathclyde were called Wallenses; e.g. Wales, Gwalia—root gwal or gall, foreign. The Welsh call their own country Cymru (the abode of the Kymry or aborigines)—(the home of the Cymric Celts), so named by the Saxons; Wallachia (the strangers’ land, vlach), so called by the Germans and Sclaves because colonised by the Romans; Walcherin, anc. Walacria or Gualacra (the island of the strangers or Celts); Cornwall (the horn or promontory of the Celts); also Cornuailles (a district in Brittany peopled by British emigrants from Wales); Wallendorf (the town of the strangers), the German name for Olaszi or Olak, in Hungary, peopled by Wallachians; Wallenstadt and Wallensee (the town and lake on the borders of the Romansch district of the Grisons, conquered by the Romans under Constantius); Wâlschland, the German name for Italy. The Celts of Flanders were also called Walloons by their German neighbours; and Wlachowitz, in Moravia, means the town of the Wallachs or strangers. The Gadhelic gall (foreign), although used with the same meaning as wealh, is not connected with it. It is a word that has been applied to strangers by the Irish from the remotest antiquity; and as it was applied by them to the natives of Gaul (Galli), gall, in the first instance, might mean simply a native of Gaul. It was afterwards used in reference to the Norwegians, Fionn-ghaill (the fair-haired strangers); and to the Danes, Dubh-ghaill (the dark-haired strangers); and in connection with them and with the English the word enters largely into Irish topography; e.g. Donegal, i.e. Dun-nau-Gall (the fortress of the foreigners or Danes); Clonegall and Clongall (the meadow of the strangers); Ballynagall and Ballnagall (the town of the strangers, or English). For the further elucidation of these words v. Irish Names of Places, by Dr. Joyce, and Words and Places, by the Rev. Isaac Taylor. The words Gaill and Gallda are applied by the Highlanders of Scotland to their countrymen in the Lowlands, but they have no connection with the name which they apply to themselves—The Gaidheil, derived from an ancestor Gaodal.

a field or strip of land, allied to the Scottish whang, a slice; e.g. Feuchtwang (moist field); Duirwangen (barren field); Ellwangen, anc. Ellhenwang (the field of the temple, eleh or alhs); Affolterwangen (apple-tree field); Wangford (the ford of the wang).

a dwelling; e.g. Kattiwar (the dwelling of the Katties, a tribe); Judwar (of the Juts or Jats); Kishtewar (the dwelling in the wood). In Anglo-Saxon wara means inhabitants—thus Lindiswaras (the inhabitants of Lincoln; Cantwara, of Kent).

a watch-tower or beacon, or a place guarded, A.S. waerdian, Ger. warten, to guard—waering, a fortification; e.g. Hohenwarth, Lat. Altaspecula (the high watch-tower); Warburg (the town of the watch-tower), in Westphalia. In England: Warden, Wardle, Wardley (guarded places, or places where the warden of the district resided); Wardlaw (the beacon hill); Wardoe (beacon island), in Norway; Warwick, i.e. Waering-vic (the fortified dwelling, or the fort of the Waerings); Wöerden or Warden (the fortified place), in Holland; Vordhill, in Shetland, and Varberg, in Sweden (the hill of the beacon); Warthill, or beacon hill, in Westmoreland; Warburton, found as Wardeburgh (the town near the watch-fort)—here Athelfreda, Oueen of Mercia, built a citadel; Warrington (the town with the fortress, waering); Gross-wardein, the German rendering of Nagy varad, Sclav. (great fortress). From guardar, Span. (to defend), we have Guardamar (the sea guard, with a hill-fort at the mouth of the R. Segura); La Guardia (built as a defence against the incursions of the Moors); Guardia-regia (royal fortress); Leeuwarden, anc. Lienwarden (the guarded place near lime-trees), in the Netherlands.

a river island, or sometimes a plot of ground insulated by marshes and secured by dykes. It often takes the forms of werth or wirth, cognate with the A.S. worth or worthing, qu. v.; e.g. Bischopswerder (the bishop’s island); Elsterwerder, Saarwerder (the islands in the Rivers Elster and Saar); Donauworth (the island in the R. Danube); Kirchwerder (church island); Marienwerder (the island or enclosure dedicated to the Virgin Mary); Falconswaart (the falcon’s enclosure), in Holland; Poppenwarth (the priest’s enclosure); Werden, Werder, Wertheim (dwellings near river islands); Worth (the enclosed place), in Bavaria; Worth-sur-Sauer (the enclosure on the R. Sauer); Nonnenwerth (the nun’s enclosure); Furstenwerder (the prince’s island); Verden (near a large island formed by the R. Aller), in Hanover; Verderbruch (the island bridge); Bolswaard (Bolswine’s river island), in Holland; Wertingen (a town on an island in the R. Schmutter); Schönwerder (beautiful island on the R. Unstruth); Werth-sur-Sauer, in Alsace (on an island formed by the Rivers Sauer and Soultzbach); Borumeler-Waard (an island near the town of Berumel), in Holland, formed by the junction of the Rivers Waal and Maas; but Hoyerswerda, in Silesia, is a corruption of the Wendish name Worejze (the town on the ploughed land).

a fortress; e.g. Wark, in Dumfriesshire, Warke Castle, on the Scottish border; Warkthwaite (the enclosure belonging to the fortress), in Cumberland; Aldwark (old fortress); Newark, in Nottingham and in Selkirk (the new fortress); Southwark (the south fortress); Warksburn, Warkton, Warkworth (places named from their vicinity to Warke Castle), in Northumberland.

water; e.g. Rothwasser (a town on the red river); Schwartzwasser (black water); Whiteadder (white water), river names; Ullswater (named from Ulla or Ulf, a Norse chief); Wasserburg, in Bavaria, on the R. Inn, and Wasserburg on Lake Constance (the town on the water); Waterloo (the watery marsh); Wasserbillig (the plain by the river); Zwishenwassern (between the waters, at the confluence of two streams), in Illyria; Altwasser, Sclav. Starawoda (the old stream), in Moravia. The ancient name of the R. Odra was Wodra (water).

a way, a road, cognate with the Lat. via; e.g. Wegefurt and Wayford (the way to the ford); Bradenwaag, (broad way); Lichtenweg (the cleared road); Wegmühle (mill road); Wainfleet (the way by the harbour); Wakefield (the field by the wayside); Norway, A.S. Norwaegas (the northern districts or paths); Courbevoie, Lat. Curba-via (the curbed way), in France.

pasture; e.g. Langenweid (the long pasture); Rathsweide (the councillor’s pasture); Neuweid (new pasture); Mittweyda (the middle pasture).

a hamlet, Old Ger. wila; e.g. Kleinweil (the little hamlet); Kurzweil (short hamlet); Langweil (long hamlet), Pfaffwyl (the priest’s hamlet); Weiller, in Alsace, Echzell, in Hesse-Darmstadt, corrupt. from Achizwila (the hamlet on the water); Eschweiler (the hamlet near ash-trees); Dettweiler (the hamlet of the diet, or people’s meeting); Rappersweil (the hamlet of Rappert, a personal name); Rothwell, in Baden, anc. Rotwili (red hamlet). In England this word takes the form of well or will, as in Kittlewell and Bradwell. In Normandy, Hardvilliers, Rohrwiller, Neuviller, etc.

a dam, that which wards off the water, wearan, A.S., to guard; e.g. Ware, in Co. Hertford, named from a dam on the R. Lea, made by the Danes; Wareham (the town on the Weir), in Dorsetshire; Warminster (the monastery near the weir.)

white; e.g. Weisshorn (white cape); Weissmaes (white field); Weissenberg and Weissenfels (white rock); Weissenburg and Weissenstadt (white town); Weissenthurm (white tower). Sometimes the word takes the form of witten, as in Wittenberg and Wittenburg (white fortress), although this prefix is frequently derived from vitu, wood; Whitacre (white field); Whitburne, Whitbourne, Whitbeck (white stream); Witley (white meadow); Whiston, in Worcester, so named because it was originally a convent of white nuns.

words applied in German topography to mark the settlements of the Wends or Sclavonians, from the verb wandeln, to wander. The Sclavonians call themselves Slowjane, which means intelligible men, or Srb, which means kinsmen; while, by all the Sclavonic tribes, the Germans are called niemiec, the dumb men, because their language is unintelligible to their Sclavonic neighbours. The Wends in the sixth century occupied the north-eastern parts of Germany, but are now chiefly confined to Lusatia; e.g. Wendischbach (the Wends’ brook); Wendischhausen and Windsheim (the dwellings of the Wends); Wendischgratz (the Wends’ fortress); Wendischkappel (the Wends’ chapel or church); Windecken and Wendischhayn (the Wends’ corner and enclosure).

pasture; e.g. Werben, on the Elbe.

a summit; e.g. Werchau (the town on the height), in Prussia; Werch-see (the lake on the height); Werchne-Udinsk (the height on the R. Uda); Verkne-Dnieprevosk (the high town on the R. Dnieper); Werchne-Uralish, on the R. Ural; Verkne-Kolynski, on the R. Kolyma; Verkne-Sousensk, on the R. Sosna; Werchblatt (high marsh).

a dam or wharf; literally, what is thrown up—werfen; e.g. Werfen (the town on the embankment), in Upper Austria; Antwerp, anc. Andoverpum (at the wharf); Hohenwerpum (high wharf); Neuwarp (new wharf).

a work, applied in topography to places where manufactures are carried on; e.g. Bergwerk (a hill work or mine); Konigswerk (the king’s manufactory); Hofwerk and Werkhausen (places connected with mines); Hüttenwerk (the huts of the workmen in the Hartz Mountains); Seifenwerk (the place for washing the metals at the mines); Frederickswerk (a cannon foundry in Denmark established by King Frederick); Wirksworth, in Derbyshire (the enclosure near the mines).

the west. This word Buttman traces to an old Ger. root wesen, Goth. visan (rest), i.e. the quarter of the heavens where the sun sinks to rest; e.g. Westphalia (the western plain); Westerwald (west wood); Westerufer (the western shore, i.e. of the R. Inn); Westhausen and Westhoffen (the west dwellings and court), in Alsace; Wesen, on the west shore of Lake Wallensee; Westeraas, in Sweden, anc. Vestra-aros (western dwelling), so called to distinguish it from Ostra-aros (the eastern dwelling); Westman’s Isles, Scand. Vestmanna-eyar, on the coast of Iceland, so called because peopled by men from the west—Irish pirates; Westbury, Westbourn, Weston, Westbrook, from the same root.