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

a dwelling, a village, a town—a word in general use in the topography of Great Britain, as well as on the continent, but with various meanings. According to Leo, the Teut. wich or vichs arose from the root waes, A.S., and wiese, Ger. (a moist meadow) and hence was applied to places situated on low lands, often on the bank of a stream; e.g. Meeswyk (the town on the Maas); Beverwyk, on the Bever. The primary meaning seems to have been a station—with the Anglo-Saxons a station or abode on the land, with the Norsemen a station for ships. The root of the word runs through all the Aryan languages—Sansc. veça, Grk. oikos, Pol. wies, Ir. fieh, Cym.-Cel. qwic, all meaning an abode; e.g. Alnwick (the town on the R. Alne); Ipswich, anc. Gippenswich, on the Gipping; York, A.S. Eorvic, Lat. Eboracum, Welsh Caer-Ebreuc (the town on the water, or R. Eure); Hawick (the town on the haugh or low meadow); Noordwyk (north town); Nederwyk (lower town); Zuidwyk and Zuick (south town), in Holland and Belgium; Harwich (army town), so called from having been a Saxon station or military depot; Keswick (the town of Cissa); Wickware, in Gloucestershire (the town of the family of De la Ware). On the other hand, the Scandinavian wich or vig signifies a bay, or a place situated on the coast, or at the mouth of a river—thus Schleswick (on a bay formed by the R. Schlie), in Prussia; Wick (the town on the bay), in Caithness; Sandwich (the town on the sandy bay); Lerwick (on the muddy bay); Greenwich, Scand. Granvigen (the town on the pine bay); Reikjavik, in Iceland (the reeky or smoky bay); Vigo in Spain, and Vaage in Norway (on spacious bays); Swanage, in Dorset, anc. Swanwick (Sweyen’s bay town); Brodick, in Arran (the broad bay town); Wicklow, in Ireland, probably Danish Vigloe (bay shelter), used by the Danes as a ship station; Smerwick (butter bay); Berwick, contracted from Aberwick (at the mouth of the R. Tweed)—v. ABER. Wiche also denotes a place where there are salt mines or springs, and in this sense is probably connected with the Scand. vig, as salt was often obtained by the evaporation of sea-water in shallow bays; thus Nantwich—v. NANT; Middlewich (the middle salt works); Droitwich, Lat. Salinæ (the salt springs, where the droit or tax was paid). In some cases wich or wick is derived from the Lat. vicus, cognate with the Grk. oikos and Sansc. veça (a dwelling)—thus Katwyk-sur-mer and Katwyk-sur-Rhin are supposed to occupy the site of the Roman Vicus-Cattorum (the dwelling-place of the Chatti); Vick or Vique, in Spain, from Vicus-Ausoniensis (the dwelling of the Ausones); Vidauban, in France, from Vicus-Albanus (the dwelling of Albanus); Longwy, from Longus-vicus (long town); Limoges, anc. Lemovicum (the town of the Lemovici); also in France: Vic-desprès (the town on the meadows); Vic-sur-Losse and Vic-sur-Aisne, the towns on these rivers. The Sclav. wice is found in Jazlowice (the town on the marsh); and Malschwice (Matthew’s town), etc.

wood; e.g. Norwood (north wood); Selwood, Lat. Sylva-magna (great wood), Celtic Coitmaur; Coteswold (from its sheep-cotes, in the wood); the Wolds, near Wolderness, in Yorkshire; Ringwood, in Hants, Lat. Regni-sylva (the wood or forest of the Regni, a tribe); Wittstock and Woodstock (woody place); but Wittingau, Wittingen, Wittgenstein, Wittgensdorf, and other names with this prefix in Germany, come from the patronymic Wittick or Wittikind (i.e. the children of the woods). In England the same prefix may mean white, as in Witney, or from places where the Saxon Witangemote held their meetings; Holywood, in Dumfriesshire, Lat. Abbia sacra nemoris (the abbey of the sacred wood), called by the Irish Der-Congal (the sacred oak grove of Congal).

a market especially for corn; e.g. Wieck (the market town), the name of numerous places in the Sclavonic districts; Wikow (the Sclavonic name for Elsterwerder)—v. WARID, etc.

pasture-ground or meadow; e.g. Pfaffenwiese (the priest’s meadow); Schaafwiese (sheep pasture); Wiesbaden (the meadow baths); the Wash (near moist pasture-ground); Wismar (beautiful or rich meadow), in Mecklenburg; Wiesflech (the hamlet in the meadow pasture); Ziegelwasen (the goat’s meadow); Wisheim (the dwelling in the meadow or pasture-ground).

the willow; e.g. Wilcrick (willow crag); Wilden (willow hollow); but Willoughby and Willoughton, probably from a personal name.

victory; e.g. Winford, Winslow, Wingrave, Wimborne (the ford, hill, entrenchment, and brook of the victory).

a corner; e.g. Winceby (corner dwelling); Winchcomb (the corner hollow); Winchelsea (the island or moist land at the corner); Winchendon (corner hill); Winkleigh (corner meadow); Winkelhorst (corner thicket); Winkeldorf (corner village); Winklarn (the waste field at the corner).

contracted from the Sclav. hussoki (high); e.g. Wissek, Weissagh, Wisowice or Wisowitz, Ossiegt, and Ossagh (high village); Wischhrad (high fortress); Wisoki-mazo-wieck (the high middle market-town), in Poland; but in Germany wisch is sometimes a form of wiese (meadow), as in Wischmühle (the meadow mill); Wischhausen (the dwelling in the meadow); Essek, for Ossick (high place), in Sclavonia.

the willow; e.g. Witham, Withern (willow dwelling); Withybrook (willow stream); Withridge (willow ridge).

a turning; e.g. Woburn, Wooburn (the bend of the stream); Woking (the turning at the chink or chine).

the ox; e.g. Wolgast (the oxen’s shed); Wohlau (an enclosure for oxen), a town in Prussia which carries on a great trade in cattle; Wollin (the place of oxen), at the mouth of the R. Oder.

the alder-tree; e.g. Wolschau, Wolschen, Wolsching, Wolschinka (the place abounding in alders); the Sclavonic name for the R. Elster is Wolshinka (the river of alders); Oels, in Silesia, on the Oelse (alder-tree stream); Oelsen and Olsenice (the village of alder-trees); Olsnitz (the town on Elster, or alder stream).

a prefix sometimes employed with reference to the wolf, as in Wolvesley (the wolves’ island), where a tribute of wolves’ heads was paid annually by the Britons to the Saxons, by order of King Edgar. Sometimes as a contraction for wold (the waste land), as in Wolford, Wolborough, Woldingham, Wooler, and in Woolverton; but it comes often also from a personal name, as in Wolfhamcote, Wulferlow, Wolferton (from Ulp or Wulfhern).

a farm, manor, or estate, a place warded or protected, A.S. warian (to defend); cognate with the Ger. warid or werder; e.g. Worthing in Sussex, Worthen in Salop, Worthy and Worting in Hants, Worthington in Lancashire (the farm or manor); Highworth (high manor); Kenilworth (the estate of Kenelm); Bosworth (of Bosa); Edgeworth (the estate on the border); Edgeware, anc. Edgeworth, same meaning; Polwarth (the estate on the marshy land), a parish in Berwickshire; Ravenworth (the manor of Hrafen); Rickmansworth (of Rickman); Tamworth (the manor), on R. Tam; Wandsworth, on the R. Wandle; Worksworth (the place near the miner’s works); Chatsworth (the manor in the wood), Celtic coed; Hammersmith, corrupt. from Hermoderworth (the manor of Hermode).

an herb, a plant; wyrtun, a garden; e.g. Wurtzburg, anc. Herbipolis (the city of plants); Wortley (the place or field of herbs); Warton (the garden).

Y

salt; e.g. Yen-shan (salt hill); Yen-yuen (salt spring).

new; e.g. Yenidja-Vardar (the new fortress), anc. Pella; Yenidya-Carasu (the new place on the black water); Yenikale (the new castle); Yenikhan (new inn); Yeniseisk (the new town on the R. Yenisei); Yenishehr (the new dwelling); Yeni-Bazar (new market); Yenikoi (new village); Yeni-Hissar (new castle).

Z

a fountain; e.g. Great and Little Zab, in Turkey.

black; e.g. Zschorne (black town); Sornosche-Elster, i.e. the black R. Elster; Zschornegosda (black inn); Zarnowice, Zarnowitz, Sarne, Sarnow, Sarnowo, Sarnaki (black village).

red; e.g. Tscherna (the red river); Tscherniz or Zerniz (red town); Tzernagora (red mountain).

a Greek church, from the Grk. kuriake; a Romish church in their language is called kosciol; a Protestant church, zbor; e.g. Zerkowo, Zerkowitz, Zerkwitz (the town of the Greek church).

from sedal (Ger.), a seat or settlement; e.g. Brockzettel (the settlement or seat on the broken-up land); Endzettel (the settlement at the corner); Weinzettel (the wine settlement).

a habitation; e.g. Sussi (the habitation on high ground); Issy (the dwelling, here, or on low ground); Passy (the dwelling near the boat—bac or bad).