a site, a bed; and in Germany, according to Buttmann, a field; in topography, synonymous with lage; e.g. Goslar (the site or field on the R. Gose), in Hanover; Somplar (marshy field); Wittlar (woody field); Dinklar (wheat field); Wetzlar, in Prussia, anc. Wittlara (woody field); Wassarlar (watery field); Noordlaren (the northern site); Lahr (the site), a town in Baden. In Ireland this word takes the forms of laragh and lara; e.g. Laraghleas (the site of the fort); Laraghshankill (of the old church). Lara, however, is sometimes a corrupt. of Leath-rath (half rath), as in Laragh, in West Meath; and laar and lare often mean middle, as in Rosslare (the middle peninsula); Ennislare (the middle island); Latheron, in Caithness, is the site of the seal.
a current, a rapid, from laufen, Ger.; hlaupen, Scand.; hleapen, A.S. (to run, to leap); e.g. Laufen (the rapids), on the R. Salzach; Lauffenberg (the town near the rapids of the Rhine); Laufnitz (the leaping river); Lauffen (on the rapids of the R. Inn); Leixlip, in Ireland, Old Norse Lax-hlaup (salmon-leap), on a cataract of the R. Liffey; Beck-loop (brook cataract), in Holland; Loop-Head, Co. Clare, Irish Leim-Chon-Chuillerin (Cuchullin’s leap)—v. Joyce’s Names of Places.
a hill, cognate with the Irish lagh; e.g. Houndslow (the dog’s hill); Ludlow (the people’s hill, leod); Greenlaw, in Berwickshire (the green hill)—the modern town is situated on a plain, but old Greenlaw was on a hill; Winslow (the hill of victory), in Berks; Marlow (the chalk or marshy hill); Wardlaw (guard hill); Hadlow, anc. Haslow (hazel hill); Castlelaw, in the Lammermuir range, named from Roman camps on these hills; Sidlaw Hills (the south hills, in reference to their forming the southern boundary of Strathmore); Warmlow, Co. Worcester, anc. Waermundes-hleau (the hill of Waermund, a personal name); Fala, a parish in Mid Lothian, abbreviated from Fallaw (the speckled hill); Mintlaw, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from Moan-alt-law (the hill at the moss burn).
an abode; e.g. Naglaya (the abode of snakes); the Himalaya Mountains (the abode of snow); Hurrial, for Arayalaya (the abode of Hari or Vishnu).
a flat stone—in topography, found in the forms of lick and leck, cognate with the Lat. lapis and Grk. lithos; e.g. Lackeen, Licken (the little stone); Slieve-league (the mountain of the flagstone); Lickmollasy (St. Molasse’s flagstone); Bel-leek, Irish Bel-leice (the ford of the flagstone), near Ballyshannon; Lackagh (full of flagstones); Lickfinn (white flagstone); Duleek, anc. Doimhliag (the stone house or church); Auchinleck (the field of the stone), in Ayrshire; Harlech, in Merioneth; Ar-llech (on the rock, the place being situated on a craggy eminence); Llananl-lech—v. LLAN; Llech-trufin, probably originally Llech-treffen (the rock of the look-out, or twrfine); Llanml-lech (the church among many stones); Tre-llech (stone dwelling); Llech-rhyd (the ford of the flat stone); Leck, Lech, Leckbeck (the stony rivers); Leckfield (the field on the R. Leck); Leckwith, in Wales, for Lechwedd (a slope).
the elm-tree; e.g. the Laune, a river at Killarney, and the Leven, in Scotland (the elm-tree stream); Lennox or Levenach (the district of the R. Leven), the ancient name of Dumbartonshire; Lislevane (the fort of the elm-tree), in Ireland. According to Mr. Skene, the Rivers Leven in Dumbartonshire and in Fife have given their names to Loch Lomond and Loch Leven, while in each county there is a corresponding mountain called Lomond.
the slope of a hill; e.g. Largy, in Ireland; Lairg, a parish in Sutherlandshire; Largs, in Ayrshire, and Largo, in Fife, from this word; Largan (the little hill-slope); Largynagreana (the sunny hill-slope); Larganreagh (gray hill-slope), in Ireland.
a possession, an inheritance. Forsteman thinks this word is derived from the Old Ger. laiban (to leave or bequeath), cognate with the Grk. leipa, and not from leben (to live); e.g. Leibnitz, anc. Dud-leipen (the inheritance of Dudo); Ottersleben (of Otho); Ritzleben (of Richard); Germersleben (of Germer); Osharsleben (of Ausgar); Sandersleben (of Sander); Hadersleben (of Hada).
a Roman legion; e.g. Caerleon, on the Usk, anc. Isca-Legionis; Leicester, Legionis-castra (the camp of the legion); Leon, in Spain, anc. Legio, being the station of the seventh Roman legion; Lexdon, anc. Legionis-dunum (the fort of the legion); Megiddo, in Palestine, now Ledjun, anc. Castra-legionis (the camp of the legion).
clay, mud; e.g. the Leam (the muddy river); Leamington (the town on the R. Leam); Lehmhurst (the clayey wood); Lambourn (muddy brook); Leemkothen (the mud huts).
the slope of a hill; e.g. Ballater, in Aberdeenshire (the town on the sloping hill); Letterfearn (the alder-tree slope); Letterfourie (the grassy hillside, feurach); Findlater (the cold hill-slope, fionn), in Scotland. In Ireland: Letterkenny (the hill-slope of the O’Cannons); Letterkeen (beautiful hill-slope); Lettermullen (Meallan’s hill-slope); Letterbrick (the badger’s hill-slope); Letterlickey (the hill-slope of the flagstone); Letherhead, in Surrey (at the head of the slope, Welsh llethr), on the declivitous bank of the R. Mole; Machynlleth for Mach-yn-Llethr (the ridge on the slope), a town in Montgomery.
the people; e.g. Leutkirch (the people’s church); Liège, Ger. Lüttich, anc. Leodicus-vicus (the people’s town)—the hill on which the citadel stands was called Publes-mont (the people’s hill); Leeds, in Yorkshire, anc. Loidis (the people’s town, according to Bayley); Whittaker, however, makes it the town of Loidi, a personal name); but Leeds, in Kent, is said to have been named after Ledian, the Chancellor of Ethelred II.
a wood or thicket; e.g. Lessau, Leske, Leskau, Lessen, Lissa (the woody place), towns in Prussia; Leschnitz, in Silesia, and Leizig, in Saxony, with the same meaning; Leschkirch (the church in the wood), in Transylvania; Liezegorike (woody hill).
white, e.g. Leuctra, Leuctron, Leucadia, so named from the white rocks at its extremity; Leucasia (the white river); Leucate (the white promontory in Greece).
a district—in English topography generally applied to an open field or meadow; e.g. Leigh (the meadow), in Lancashire; Berkeley, Thornley, Oakley, Auchley, Alderley, Brachley (the meadow of birch, thorn, oak, alder, ferns); Hasley (of hazels); Hagley (the enclosed meadow); Horsley (the meadow of Horsa, or of horses); Brockley (of the badger); Hindley (of the stag); Everley (of the wild boar, aper); Bradley (broad meadow); Stanley (stony meadow); Loxley (of Loki, a Scandinavian deity); Ashley (ash-tree meadow); but Ashley, S. Carolina, was named after Lord Ashley in the reign of Charles II.; Morley (moor-field); Bisley (bean-field); Cowley (cow’s field); Linley (flax-field); Monkley (the monk’s field); Audley, Co. Stafford (old field); but Audley, in Essex, took its name from a palace erected by Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor of England; Ofley (the field of King Offa); Tarporley, in Cheshire, corrupt. from Thorpeley (the farm-field or meadow); Chorley (the meadow of the R. Chor); Bosley (Bodolph’s field); West Leigh, North Leigh, Leighton, from the same root; Satterleigh (the field of Seator, an A.S. deity); Earnley, Sussex (eagle meadow); Ripley, in Yorkshire, from Hryp, a personal name; Bentley, bent, pasture (a coarse kind of grass); Tewesley and Tisley, from Tiw, a Saxon deity—as also Tewing, Tuoesmere, and Teowes (thorn); Henley (the old meadow or field), supposed to be the oldest town in Oxfordshire.
a fort or town; e.g. Rialin, now Riga (the fortress of the Rugii), in Russia; Pernau, anc. Perna-lin (the lime-tree fort); Tepelin (hill town; tepe, Turc. hill).
the linden-tree; e.g. Lindhurst and Lyndhurst (the linden-tree wood); Lindheim, Lindorf, Limburg, in Germany (the town of linden-trees); as also Limburg, in Holland, formerly Lindenburg; Lindau (the linden-tree meadow); Lindesnaes (the promontory of linden-trees), in Norway; La Linde, Le Lindois (abounding in linden-trees); Limbœuf, Lindebœuf (linden-tree dwelling), in France.
a pool, a lake, sometimes applied to a waterfall, not as associated with the cascade, but with the pool into which it is received, as in the Linn of Dee, in Aberdeenshire, and Corra-linn, on the Clyde. Dublin (the black pool) takes its name from that part of the R. Liffey on which it is built; and there are several other places in Ireland whose names have the same meaning, although variously spelt, as Devlin, in Mayo; Dowling and Doolin, in Kilkenny and Clare; Ballinadoolin (the town of the black pool), in Kildare. In several such cases the proper name was Ath-cliath (hurdle ford), literally Baile-atha-cliath (the town of the hurdle ford), the original name of Dublin. The ancient name of Lincoln, Lindum, is the hill fort on the pool; Linlithgow comes from the same root, and is probably the gray lake—how it came by the termination gow, gu, or cu, as it is variously spelt, cannot be determined; Linton, in Roxburghshire, is the town on the pool; Linton, in Peebles, on the R. Lyne—in Cambridge (on the brook, hlynna); Dupplin, on the R. Earn, in Perthshire (the black pool); Crailing, in Berwickshire, anc. Traverlin (the dwellings, treabhar, on the pool); Edarline (between the pools); Aber-glas-lyn (the estuary of the blue pool), in Wales; Lynn-Regis (the king’s pool), in Norfolk; Roslin (the projecting point on the pool), in Mid Lothian; Lynn-yr-Afrange (the beaver’s pool), in Wales; Mauchline, in Ayrshire (the pool in the plain, magh); Lincluden, in Kirkcudbright (the pool of the R. Cluden); Lindores, in Fife, probably not from this root, but a corrupt. of Lann-Tours, being the seat of the abbey of Tours, founded by David, Earl of Huntingdon. Lyme-Regis (the king’s pool), in Dorset; Lymington, anc. Linton (the town on the pool), in Hants; Llyn-hir (long pool); Llyn-y-cun (the dog’s pool), in Carnarvon; Llynn-y-Nadroedd (the adder’s pool); Llynn-ye-cae (the enclosed pool), all in Wales; Llyn-tegid (the fair or beautiful lake); Lly-gwyn, with the same meaning; Llyn-Teivy, of the R. Teivy, in Wales; Llyn-Safaddon, corrupt. from Llyn-saf-baddon (the standing pool or fixed bathing place)—v. BAD.
an enclosure, a garden, or a fort. In Ireland it generally meant originally a place enclosed with a circular entrenchment, for the purpose of shelter and safety, and is often translated by the Lat. atrium (the entrance-room to a dwelling or temple). There are eleven places in Ireland called Lismore (the great enclosure); Lismore also in Argyleshire; Listowel (Tuathal’s fort); Liscarrol (Carrol’s fort); Liscahane (Cathan’s fort); Lissan, Lissane, Lessany (the little fort); Ballylesson (the town of the little fort); Lisclogher (stone fort); Lislevane (the fort of the elm); Lismullin (of the mill); Lisnadarragh (of the oaks); Lisnaskea, i.e. Lios-na-sceithe (of the bush); Lissard (high fort); Gortnalissa (the field of the fort); Lisbellaw, i.e. Lios-bel-atha (the fort at the ford mouth); Dunluce (strong fort); Thurles, Co. Tipperary, from Durlas (strong fort); Rathurles (the rath of the strong fort)—all in Ireland; Liskard or Liskeard (the enclosure on the height), in Cornwall and Cheshire; Lostwithel, in Cornwall, i.e. Les-vthiel (the lofty palace), one of the ancient seats of the Duke of Cornwall; Lesmahago, in Lanarkshire, Lat. Ecclesia-Machute (the enclosure or church of St. Machute); Lesneven, in Brittany, i.e. Les-an-Evan (the enclosure or palace of Evan, Count of Leon); Leslie, in Fife (the enclosure on the R. Leven); Lessudden or St. Boswell’s, in Roxburghshire, bears the first name from Aidan, the Bishop of Lindesfarne, who is said to have lived there; and its second name from Boisel, a disciple of St. Cuthbert. The Spanish llosa is akin to the Celtic lios, as in Lliosa-del-Obispo (the bishop’s enclosure).
the linden-tree; e.g. Leipzig, Lipten, Laubsdorf or Libanoise, Lauban or Luban, Luben, Laubst, Labolz, etc. (the places abounding in linden-trees); Lubeck and Lublin may come from the same root, or from a Sclavonic word signifying beloved.
gray-brown; e.g. Rhipyn Llwyd (the gray upland); Llwyd-goed (gray wood).
a lake; e.g. Loch Broom (the lake of showers, braon); Loch Carron (of the winding water); Loch Doine (deep loch); Loch Duich, in Ross-shire (the lake of St. Duthic, the same person from whom the town of Tain took its Gaelic name, Baile-Duich, St. Dulhaick’s town); Loch Fyne (the fair lake); Loch Lomond (the lake of the elm-tree river); Loch Nell (of the swan, eala); Loch Ness (of the waterfall, i.e. of Foyers)—v. EAS; Loch Long (ship lake, Scand. Skipafiord); Gareloch (short lake, gearr), in Ross-shire, and also a branch of the Firth of Clyde; Loch Etive (dreary loch, eitidh); Lochlubnaig (the lake of the little bend, lubnaig); Lochbuie and Lochbuy (the yellow loch); Lochmuic (of the wild boar); Lochgorm (blue loch); Lochlaggan (of the hollow); Loch Tay (of the R. Tay or Tamha, quiet river); Lochgelly (of the fair water); Loch Maree (the lake of St. Malrube); Lochard (high loch); Loch Awe and Loch Linnhe (here duplicate names, aw signifying water and linne a pool); Loch-na-keal (the loch of the cemetery, cill); Loch Earn (the west loch, i.e. west of Loch Tay); Lochgelly (white lake, gealich); Loch Katrine, probably the lake of the Caterans or freebooters; Benderloch, in Argyleshire, i.e. Bendaraloch (the hill between the lakes); Lochnagar, i.e. Lochan-na-gabhar (the little lake of the goats, at the base of the mountain to which it gives its name); Lochmaben, probably the loch of the bald headland, as in an old charter the castle at the head of the loch is called Lochmalban; Lochfad (long loch), in the Island of Bute, five miles long and scarce half a mile broad; Loch Achray, in Perthshire (the loch of the level plain, reidh); Leuchars, in Fife, formerly Lough-yards, the low grounds of the village used to lie under water for the greater part of the year. In Ireland there are Lough Derg (red lake), originally Loch Dergderc (the lake of the red eye, connected with a legend); Lough Conn (from a personal name Conn); Loch Rea (gray or smooth lake, reidh, smooth); as also Loch Ryan, in Kirkcudbright (of the smooth water, reidhan); Loch Foyle (the lake of Febhal, the son of Lodan); Loughan, Loughane (little lake); Lochanaskin (the little lake of the eels); Lough Corrib, corrupt. from Lough Orbsen (the lake of Orbsen or Mannanan, over whose grave it is said to have burst forth); Lough Erne, in Ireland, named from the Ernai, a tribe; Lough Finn, named after a lady called Finn, who was drowned in its waters; Lough, i.e. Loch-n’-Echach (the lake of Eochy, a Munster chief, who, with his family, was overwhelmed in the eruption which gave their origin to its waters); Loch Swilly, probably a Scand. name, meaning the lake of the surges or whirlpool, swelchie. The town of Carlow was originally Cetherloch (the quadruple lake, cether, four), from a tradition that formerly the R. Barrow formed four lakes at this spot.
a place; e.g. Netley, Lat. Laeto-loco (at the pleasant, cheerful place), so called from a monastery founded there by Mereward, King of Mercia, in 658; Madley (the good place); Matlock (the meat enclosure or storehouse); Leominster, Lat. Locus-fanum (temple place); Porlock or Portlock, in Somerset (the place of the port); Lok-Maria-Ker (the town of Maria Ker), in Brittany. In France: Richelieu (rich place); Chaalis, anc. Carolis-locus (the place of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders); Beaulieu (beautiful place); Loctudey, at Finisterre, corrupt. from Loc-Sancti-Tudené (the place of St. Tudy); Locdieu and Dilo, i.e. Dei-locus (God’s place); Lieusaint (holy place); Baslieu (low place).
a meadow or thicket, and sometimes a marsh; e.g. Waterloo (watery meadow); Venloo (the marshy meadow), and perhaps Louvain may have the same meaning; Groenloo (green thicket); Hohenlohe (the high marshy meadow); Tongerloo (the marshy meadow of the Tungri); Schwarzenloh (the black thicket); Anderlues (on the marsh).
a path; e.g. Iser-lohn (the path by the R. Iser); Forstlohn (the path in the wood); Neerloon and Oberloon (the lower and upper path); Loon-op-Zand (the path on the sand).
a sacred grove; e.g. Lugo, in Italy, anc. Lucus-Dianæ (the sacred grove of Diana); Lugo, in Spain, anc. Lucus-Augusti (the sacred grove of Augustus); Les luches, in France, near the remains of an ancient temple; Luc, anc. Lucus, in Dauphiny.
a marsh, cognate with the Lat. lutum; e.g. Lusatia or Lausatz (the marshy land); Lassahn, Ger. Laki-burgum (the town on the marsh); Lugos or Lugosch, Luko and Leignitz, with the same meaning, in Poland and Silesia; Podlachia (near the marshes), a district in Poland. The towns of Lyons, Laon, and Leyden were formerly named Lugdunum (the fortress in the marshy land); Paris was formerly Lutetia-Parisiorum (the marshy land of the Parisii). In France: Loches, formerly Luccæ and Lochiæ (the marshy land); and Loché, formerly Locheium (the marshy dwelling), in the department of Indre et Loire.
a sacred grove; e.g. Lund, towns in Sweden and in the Shetlands; Lundgarth (the enclosed grove), in Yorkshire; Lundsthing (the place of meeting at the grove), in Shetland; Charlottenlund, Christianslund, and Frederickslund (the grove of Charlotte, Christian, and Frederick), villages in Denmark; and perhaps the island Lundy, in the Bristol Channel.
pleasure—applied, in topography, to a palace or lordly mansion; e.g. Ludwigslust, Charlottenlust, Ravenlust (the palaces of Ludovick, of Charlotte, and of Hrafen); Lostwithel, in Cornwall (the manor of Withel), in the old Brit. language, Pen Uchel coet (the lofty hill in the wood, and the Uzella of Ptolemy); Lustleigh (the valley of pleasure), in Devon.
bright, clear; e.g. Lutri, on Lake Geneva; Luttar, in Brunswick (the bright place); Latterbach and Lauterburn (clear stream); Lauterburg, in Alsace, on the R. Lauter; Lutterworth (the bright farm); Lauterecken, in Bavaria, at the corner, eck, of the R. Lauter.
small; e.g. Lutgenrode (the little clearing); Luxemburg, corrupt. from Lutzelburg (small fortress), Latinised Lucis-Burgum (the city of light), and hence passing into Luxemburg; Lucelle or Lutzel, in Alsace; Lutzelsten (the small rock), in Alsace.
a stone; e.g. Maentwrog (the tower-like pillar), a parish in Merioneth; Maen or Dewi (St. David’s possession).
a meadow or field, cognate with the Gael. magh; e.g. Maescar (the pool in the field); Maisemore (great field), in Brecknock and Gloucestershire; Marden, in Hereford, anc. Maes-y-durdin (the field of the water camp); Basaleg, a parish in Wales. The name has been corrupted Maes-aleg, signifying elect land, from an event famous in Welsh history, which took place there. Maes-teg (the fair field); Maes-yr-onnen (the field of ash-trees); Cemmaes (the plain of the ridge, cefn); Maes-y-Mynach (monk field); Cemmaes, i.e. Cefn-maes (the ridge of the plain), in Wales; Runnymede, Co. Surrey (the meadow of the council), Latinised Pratum-concilii; Andermatt (on the meadow); Zermatt (at the meadow), in Switzerland; Matterhorn (the peak of the meadow); Aeschenmatt (ash-tree meadow); Maes-Garmon (the field of St. Germanus), in Wales; Soultzmatt (the meadow of mineral waters, salz), in Alsace.
great; e.g. the R. Main, anc. Magen-aha (great water); Mainland, anc. Meginland (great island), in the Orkneys; Mainhardt (great wood); Meiningen (the great field)—v. GEN—in Germany.
a field or plain, corrupt. into Maw or Moy, Latinised magus; e.g. Magh-breagh (the beautiful plain), in Ireland, extending from the R. Liffey to the borders of Co. Louth; Moy and May (the plain), both in Ireland and in Scotland; Moidart (the high plain), in Inverness-shire; Mayo (the plain of yew-trees); Moynalty, Irish Magh-nealta (the plain of the flocks); Macosquin, in Londonderry, corrupt. from Magh-Cosgrain (the field of Cosgrain); Mallow, in Cork, Magh-Ealla (the plain of the R. Allo or Ealla, now the Blackwater); Moville and Movilla (the plain of the old tree, bile); Moycoba, for Magh-Coba (the plain of Coba); Machaire, a derivative from Magh, is found under the forms of Maghera and Maghery, thus—Magheracloone (the plain of the meadow); Magheraculmony (the plain at the back of the shrubbery); Maynooth (the plain of Nuadhat); Moira, corrupt. from Magh-rath (the plain of the forts), Co. Down; Moyarta (the plain of the grave, ferta). In Scotland we find Rothiemay, in Banff, corrupt. from Rath-na-magh (the castle of the plain); Monievaird, i.e. Magh-na-bhaird (the plain of the bards), in Perthshire; Machynlleth (the ridge on the slope), a town in Montgomeryshire, Wales. In its Latinised form this word is found in Marcomagus, now Margagen (the plain of the Marcomanni); Juliomagus and Cæsaromagus (of Julius and Cæsar); Noviomagus (the new plain); and again the same word became magen or megen among the Teutonic races, thus Noviomagus became Nimeguen; Nozon was anc. Noviomagus or Noviodunum; Riom, in France, anc. Ricomagus (rich plain); Maing or Meung, on the Loire, formerly Magus; Argenton, Argentomagus (silver field); Rouen, anc. Rothomagus (the fort on the plain). The ancient name of Worms was Bartomagus, which Buttman says means high field; its present name was corrupted from Vormatia; Mouzon, in France, was Mosomagus (the plain of the R. Meuse).
great; e.g. Mahabalipoor (the city of the great god Bali); Mahanuddy (the great river); Mahadea Mountains (the mountains of the great goddess); Maha-vila-ganga (the great sandy river); Mantote, in Ceylon, corrupt. from Maha-Totta (the great ferry).
the place of meeting; e.g. Mahlburg or Mailburg, in Lower Austria (the town of the place of meeting); Detmold, anc. Theotmalli (the people’s meeting-place); Wittmold (the meeting-place in the wood); Moldfelde (in the field); Malton (the town of the meeting), in Yorkshire; Maulden (the valley of the meeting), in Bedfordshire; Kirch-ditmold (the church at the meeting-place).
little; e.g. Malinek, Malinkowo, Malenz, Malchow, Malkow, Malkowitz (little town); Maliverck (the little height).
a place or district; Maenol or Mainor, Welsh (a possession), akin to the Lat. mansio and the Fr. maison. From this word maybe derived Maine, a province of France; Mans and Mantes, although more directly they may probably come from the Cenomanni, a people who formerly inhabited that district in France; Mantua, in Italy, and La Mancha, in Spain, may be placed under this head; also Manchester, anc. Mancunium, and Mancester, anc. Manduessedum; Menteith, in Perthshire, the district of the R. Teith. In the Welsh language the letter m is changed into f and pronounced v, and fan abridged to fa, thus—Brawdfa (the place of judgment); Eisteddfa (the sitting place); Gorphwzsfa (resting place); Morfa (the shore or sea place); Manaera (the place of slaughter), probably the site of a battle; Manclochog (the ringing-stone).[4]
a farm or rural dwelling, to which was attached a certain portion of land. It was often contracted into mas, miex, or mex; e.g. La Manse, Mansac, Manselle, Le Mas, Beaumets, Beaumais, in France. The Manse, i.e. the dwelling and glebe attached to a parish in Scotland; Mains, a parish in Forfar.
the fir-tree; e.g. Mantilholz (the fir-wood); Mantilberg (fir-tree hill); Zimmermantil (the room or dwelling at the fir-trees).
a Ger. word, used both as an affix and a prefix, with various meanings. As a prefix, it occasionally stands for mark (a boundary), as in Marbrook (the boundary brook), and Marchwiail (the boundary of poles), in Wales; sometimes for a marsh, as in Marbach, on the Danube, and Marburg, on the Neckar; sometimes also for mark, an Old Ger. word for a horse, as in Marburg, on the R. Lahn, and Marburg and Mardorf (horse town), in Hesse. As an affix, it is an adjective, and signifies, in the names of places and persons, clear, bright, distinguished, or abounding in; e.g. Eschmar (abounding in ash-trees); Geismar (in goats); Horstmar (in wood); Weimar (in the vine).
the boundary; e.g. Styria or Stiermark, the boundary of the R. Steyer; Markstein (the boundary stone); Markhaus (the dwelling on the border); March, a town in Cambridge; La Marche (the frontier), a domain in France, having been the boundary between the Franks and Euskarians; Mercia, one of the kingdoms of the Heptarchy, bordering on Wales; and Murcia, in Spain, the boundary district between the Moorish kingdom of Granada and the other parts of Spain; Newmark, Altmark, Mittelmark (the new, old, and middle boundary), in Germany; Mark, in the Scandinavian language, meant a plain or district, thus Denmark means the plain of the Danes; Finnmark (of the Finns); Markbury, in Cheshire; Markley, in Hereford (the boundary town and field). The Marcomanni were the March or boundary men of the Sclavonic frontier of Germany; the R. March or Morava, the boundary between Lower Austria and Hungary; Marbecq and Marbeque, rivers in France; Mardick (the boundary dike).
a market, sometimes found as mart; e.g. Marktmühle (the market mill); Marktham, Marktflecken (market-town), in Germany; Martham, also in Norfolk; Neumarkt in Germany, and Newmarket in England (new market-town); Martock, in Somerset (the oak-tree under which the market of the district used to be held); Market-Raisin, in Lincoln, on the R. Raisin; Bibert-Markt, in Bavaria, on the R. Bibert; Kasmarkt, in Hungary, corrupt. from Kaiser-Markt (the emperor’s market-town); Donnersmarkt, the German translation or corruption of Csotartokhely (the Thursday market-place), in Hungary. The cattle-market at Stratford-on-Avon is still called the Rother-market, from an old word rother, for horned cattle.
a port; e.g. Marsala, in Sicily, i.e. Marsa-Allah (the port of God); Marsalquivir, i.e. Marsal-el-kebir (the great port). In Malta: Marsa-scala, Marsa-scirocco, Marsa-muscetto, Marsa Torno.
the thigh—applied in topography to a long low hill; e.g. Massreagh (gray hill); Mausrower (thick hill); Massareene, i.e. Mas-a-rioghna (the queen’s hill); but Massbrook, Co. Mayo, is not from this root; it is a translation of Sruthan-an-aiffrinn (the brook where the mass used to be celebrated).
Irish madhm (a mountain pass or chasm); e.g. Maum-Turk (the boar’s pass); Maumakeogh (the pass of the mist); Maumnaman (of the women); Maumnahaltora (of the altar).
black; e.g. Mavrovouno (the black mountain); Mavro Potamo (the black river), in Greece; Mavrovo and Mavroya (the black town), in Turkey.
by mutation fawr, Welsh (great)—v. MOR, p. 143.
a city or the metropolis; e.g. Medina, in Arabia, called by the Arabs Medinat-al-Nabi (the city of the prophet). In Spain: Medina-de-las-torres (the city of the towers); Medina-del-campo (of the plain); Medina-delpomar (of the apple-orchard); Medina-del-rio-seco (of the dry river-bed); Medina-Sidonia (of the Sidonians). This city was so named by the Moors, because they believed it to have been built on the site of the Phœnician city Asidur.
a lake, sea, or marsh; e.g. Blakemere (the black lake, blaec), in Hereford; Great Marlow or Merelow (the hill by the marsh); Cranmere (the crane’s lake or marsh); Winandermere, so called, according to Camden, from the winding of its shores; Wittleseamere, Buttermere, and Ellsmere, probably from personal names; Meerfeld, Meerhof, Meerholz, and Meerhout (the field, court, and wood near the lake or marsh), in Holland. But mere, in place-names, is said sometimes to mean a boundary—thus Merse, the other name for Berwickshire, may mean either the marshy land or the boundary county between England and Scotland. Closely connected with meer (a lake) are the words in the Celtic as well as in the Teutonic languages, denoting marshy lands, i.e. lands that have lain under water, and are still partially submerged—such as merse, A.S.; morast, Ger.; morfa, Welsh; marish, Gadhelic; marsk, Scand.; and marais, Fr. Many places in Great Britain and the Continent derive their names from these words, thus—the Maros or Marosh; and the Morava (marshy rivers); Moravia (the district of the marshy river); Morast, in Sweden (the town on the marsh); Merton, in Berwickshire (the town on the marsh); Morebattle, in Roxburghshire, anc. Mereboda (the dwelling on the marsh); Ostermarsh (east marsh), in Holland; Marengo (the marshy field), in Italy; Les Moeres (the marshes), in Flanders; Marchienne, Marchienes, Maresché, Maresches, Marest, etc., in France; Marcienisi, in Italy (marshy localities). The River Mersey may come from this word, or it may mean the border river between England and Wales.
from Mansionile, the dim. of mansus; e.g. Grandmenil (the great dwelling or hamlet); Le Menil-la-comtesse (the manor of the countess); Mesnil-église (the church hamlet); Mesnil-Guillaume, Mesnil-Gilbert, Mesnil-Jourdan, named from the proprietors; Mesnil-sur-l’Estrée (the hamlet on the Roman road called Strata Estrée); Les Menils, Menillot, etc., in France.
a village; e.g. Miselmeri, corrupt. from Menzil-el-Emir (the emir’s village); Mezojuso, from Menzil-Yusuf (the village of Joseph).
little, cognate with the Lat. minor; e.g. the Rivers Minnow and Mynwy, in Wales; the Mincio, in Italy; the Minho, in Portugal; Minorca (the less), in opposition to Majorca (the greater island); Miosen (the little sea or lake), in Norway.
great, Scotch muckle; e.g. Mickledorf, Michelstadt, Michelham, Mickleton (great dwelling); Micklebeck (great brook); Michelau (great meadow); Mitchelmerse (the great marsh); Mecklenburg, anc. Mikilinberg (the great town or hill fort); Muchelney (the great island), in Somersetshire, formed by the conf. of the Rivers Ivel and Parret; Meikle Ferry (the great ferry), on Dornoch Firth; Micklegarth (the great enclosure), the Scandinavian name for Constantinople, Grk. Megalopolis; but mikil or miklos, especially in Russia and Hungary, is often an abbreviation of St. Nicholas, and denotes that the churches in these places were dedicated to that saint—thus Mikailov, Mikhailovskaia, Mikhalpol (St. Nicholas’s towns), in Russia; Miklos-Szent and Miklos-Nagy-Szent, in Hungary; Mikolajow, in Poland; Mitcham, in Surrey, in Doomsday is Michelham.
a high rock or the brow of a hill; e.g. Maen-du (black rock), in Monmouth; Minto, a parish in Roxburghshire, on the brow of a steep hill; Meonstoke (hill station); East and West Meon, in Gloucestershire; Mendabia (at the foot of the hill), in Spain; Altmaen, corrupt. to “Old Man of Coniston,” in the Lake country, and to the “Old Man of Hoy,” in the Orkneys; the “Dodmaen,” in Cornwall—v. DODD—has been corrupted to Deadman.
a monk’s dwelling or monastery, hence a cathedral—Lat. monasterium; e.g. Illminster, Axminster, Stourminster, Kremmunster, Charminster (the monasteries on the Rivers Ill, Ax, Stour, Krem, and Char); Beaminster, Co. Dorset, named after St. Bega; Kidderminster (the monastery of Earl Cynebert); Westminster (the minster west of St. Paul’s); Warminster (near the weir or dam of the R. Willey); Monasteranenagh (the monastery of the fair); Monasterboice (of St. Bœthus); Monasterevin (of St. Evin), in Ireland; Monasteria de la Vega (of the plain), in Spain. In France: Moutier, Moustier, Moustoir, Munster, Monestier (the monastery); Montereau, Montreuil, Marmoutier (the monastery of St. Martin); Masmoutier (of Maso); Noirmoutier and Rougemoutier (the black and red monastery); Toli-Monaster or Bitolia (the monastery of the beech-trees), in Turkey; Munster (the monastery), in Alsace; but Munster, a province in Ireland, is compounded from the Scand. ster—qu. v.—and the Irish Mumha, a king’s name; Munster-eifel (the monastery at the foot of the Eifel-berg).
peace; e.g. Mirgorod (the fortress of peace); Miropol, Mirowitz, Mirow (the town of peace).
the middle, cognate with the Lat. medius, Grk. mesos, and Gadhelic meadhon; e.g. Middleby, Middleton, Middleham, Mitton, Middleburg (the middle town); Middlesex (the territory of the middle Saxons); Middlewich (the middle salt manufactory), in Cheshire—v. WICH; Midhurst (the middle wood), in Sussex; Midmar (the middle district of Mar), in Aberdeenshire; Ardmeanadh, Gael. Ardmeadhonadh (the middle height), being the Gaelic name for Cromarty; Mitford (the middle ford); Melton-Mowbray, sometimes written Medeltune (the middle town), formerly belonging to the Mowbray family; Mittelgebirge (the middle mountain range); Mittelwalde, Sclav. Medzibor (the middle of the wood), in Silesia; Methwold, in Norfolk, with the same meaning; Mittweyda (in the midst of pasture ground), in Saxony; Methley and Metfield (middle field); Meseritz and Meseritsch, i.e. mied-zyvreka (in the midst of streams), in Moravia and Pomerania; Mediasch (in the midst of waters), in Hungary; Misdroi (in the midst of woods), in Pomerania; Mediterranean Sea (in the middle of the land); Media (the middle country, as then known); Mesopotamia, Grk. (the country between the rivers); Mediolanum (in the midst of the plain or land)—v. LANN—the ancient name of Milan, Saintes, and some other towns.
new; e.g. Mladiza, Mladowitz, Mladzowitz (new town), in Bohemia; Bladen and Bladow, corrupt. from Mladen, with the same meaning, in Silesia.
a round hill or a bald promontory, as an adjective signifying bald, and often applied to hills and promontories, thus—the Mull or promontory of Cantyre and Galloway; Meldrum, in Aberdeenshire, and Meeldrum, in Ireland (the bald ridge); Melrose, i.e. Maol-ros (the bald headland), Old Melrose having been situated on a peninsula formed by the Tweed; the Eildon Hills, near Melrose, corrupt. from Moeldun (bald hill); the Island of Mull, one of the Hebrides; Mealfourvounie (the hill of the cold moor), in Inverness-shire; Glassmeal (gray hill), in Perth; Malvern (the bald hill of the alders, gwernen); Moel-y-don (the hill of the waves), in Anglesea; Moel-Aelir (the frosty hill); Muldonach (the hill of Donald), one of the Hebrides; Moel-Try-garn (the ridge of the three cairns); Moel-Eilio (the mount of construction); Moel-y-crio (the hill of shouting); Moel-ben-twrch (boar’s head hill), in Wales; Moel-cwm-Cerwyn (the bald dingle of the cauldron); Moelfre, corrupt. from Moelbre (bald hill), in Wales. In Ireland this word often takes the form of moyle, as in Kilmoyle (bald church); Rathmoyle, Lismoyle, Dunmoyle (the bald or dilapidated fort); Mweelbane (the white hill); Meelgarrow (rough hill); Meelshane (John’s bald hill); Mweel-na-horna (the bald hill of the barley); Maulagh (abounding in hillocks); Mullaghmeen (smooth hillock); Mulboy (yellow hillock), etc.; Mullanagore and Mullanagower (the little summit of the goats). In Wales: Moel-hebog (hawk hill); Moel-eryn (eagle hill), in Wales. The Mool of Aswich and the Mool of Land, in Shetland.
a moss or bog. in Ireland: Mona-braher, i.e. Moin-nam-brathar (the bog of the friars); Monalour (of the lepers); Moneen (the little bog); Ballynamona (the town of the bog); Monard (high bog); Montiagh, for Mointeach (the boggy place); Monabrock (the badger’s moss); Monroe (the red moss); Mon is, however, sometimes used instead of monadh (a rising ground in a moor), as in Co. Monaghan, Muineachan (abounding in little hills); which country, however, according to the Annals of the Four Masters, was named from its chief town (the town of monks). In Scotland: Moin, a moorland district in Sutherlandshire; Monzie and Moonzie (the mossy land), in Fife and Perthshire; Montrose (the boggy promontory); Mon, again for monadh, in Monimail (bald hill), in Fife; Moncrieffe (the woody hill, craobach); Moness (the hill of the cascade, eas).