Chapter IX: Introduction (8)

[Sidenote: RIED (A.S.),]

a reed; _e.g._ Retford and Radford (the reedy ford); Radbourne (reedy brook); Redbridge, in Hants, anc. _Reideford_ (reedy ford). Bede calls it _Arundinis-vadum_, Lat. (the ford of the reeds).

[Sidenote: RIGGE (A.S.), RÜCHEN (Ger.),]

a ridge; _e.g._ Hansrücke (John’s ridge); Hengistrücke (the horses’ ridge); Hundsricke (the dog’s ridge); Rudgeley (the field at the ridge); Brownrigg, Grayrigg (the brown and gray ridge); Reigate (the passage through the ridge), contracted from _ridgegate_; Lindridge (lime-tree ridge); Rucksteig (the steep path on the ridge); Langrike (long ridge); Steenrücke (stony ridge).

[Sidenote: RIPA (Lat.), RIVA (It.), RIBA (Span. and Port.), RIVE (Fr.),]

a bank or the border of a stream; _e.g._ Riva (on the bank of Lake Como); Riva or Rief (on Lake Garda); Rive-de-Gier and Aube-rive (on the banks of the R. Gier and Aube); Aute-rive and Rives-altes (the high river-banks); Rieux, anc. _Rivi-Castra_ (the camp of the river-bank); Riberac (on the bank of the water), in France; Rivalta (the high bank), in Piedmont; Rivoli, anc. _Ripula_ (the little bank), in Piedmont; Romorantin, anc. _Rivus-Morentini_ (the bank of the R. Morantin), in France; _Riveria_ or _Riberia_, in Low Lat. signified a plain on the bank of a river--hence Rivière, Rivières, Hautes-Rivières, La Rivoire, etc., in France; Rivarrennæ, _i.e._ _Ripa-arenæ_ (the sandy bank), on the R. Cher; the Rialto at Venice is corrupt, from _Riva-alto_ (the high bank); Rye, in Sussex, in Lat. records _Ripa_; Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, formerly _Rye_ (on the bank of the water); Altrupp, on the R. Rhone, anc. _Alta-ripa_ (the high bank); Ribaute and Autrepe, for _Haute-rive_ (high bank), in Belgium; Ribadavia and Riba-de-Sella (the bank of the Rivers Avia and Sella), in Spain; Ripon, in Yorkshire, anc. _Ripum_ (on the bank of the R. Ure).

[Sidenote: RISCH (Ger.), RISGE (A.S.), ROGOSCHA (Sclav.),]

the rush; _e.g._ Ruscomb (the rushy hollow); Rushbrook (the rushy stream); Rushford, Rushmere, Rushholme, Ryston (the rushy ford, marsh, island, and town); Rogatzn, in Poland, and Rogatchev, in Russia (the place of rushes).

[Sidenote: ROC, ROCHE (Fr.), ROCCA (It.), ROC (A.S.),]

a rock--derivatives from the Lat. _rupes_; _e.g._ Rocca-bianca (white rock); Rocca-casale (rock village or dwelling); Rocca-secura (the safe rock fortress), in Italy; Rocca-Valoscuro (the rock in the dark valley), in Naples; Rochefort-sur-mer (the strong fortress on the sea), at the mouth of the R. Charente; La Rochelle (the little rock fortress); Rochefort (rock fortress), in Belgium; Rochester, Co. Kent (the fortress on the rock), or, according to Bede, the fort of Hrop, a Saxon chief; Rochester, in New York, named after Colonel Rochester, one of the early settlers; Roche-Guyon, Lat. _Rupes-Guidonis_ (the rock fortress of Guido); Roche-Foucault, anc. _Rupes-Fucaldi_ (the fortress of Foucalt); Rocroi, Lat. _Rupes-Regia_ (the royal fortress), in France; Roxburgh (the rock fortress)--the ancient town, as well as the county, taking their name from the strong castle, situated on a rock near the junction of the Tweed and Teviot--the ancient name of the castle was _Marchidun_ (the hill-fort on the marshy land).

[Sidenote: ROS, ROSS (Gadhelic),]

a promontory or isthmus, and also, in the south of Ireland, a wood; thus New Ross, Co. Wexford, anc. _Ros-mic-Treoin_ (the wood of Treuon’s son); Roscommon (of St. Coman); Roscrea (Cree’s wood); Ross-castle (on a promontory on Lake Killarney); Muckross (the peninsula of the pigs), in several places in Ireland; Muckros (with the same meaning--the pig’s headland) was the ancient name of the town of St. Andrews; Rossbegh (of the birches); Rossinver (of the confluence); Port-rush (the landing-place of the promontory); Ross-shire seems to have taken its name from _Ross_ (a wood); Montrose, anc. _Monros_ (the promontory on the marshy land, _moin_); Rosneath, anc. _Rosneveth_ (the promontory of St. Nefydd), in Dumbartonshire; Roslin (the promontory on the pool); Kinross (the head of the promontory), either with reference to the county--in regard to Fife, of which it anciently formed part--or with reference to the town at the head of Loch Leven. Fife was anciently called _Ross_: it got the name of Fife in honour of Duff, Earl of Fife, to whom it was given by Kenneth II.; and in 1426 Kinross was made a separate county. Roskeen (the head or corner of Ross-shire); Rosehearty, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from _Ros-ardty_ (the dwelling on the high promontory).

[Sidenote: RÜHE (Ger.),]

rest; _e.g._ Ludwigsrühe (Ludowic’s rest); Carlshrühe (Charles’s rest), founded by Charles William, Margrave of Baden, in 1715; Henricksrühe (Henry’s rest).

[Sidenote: RUN (A.S.),]

council; _e.g._ Runhall (the hall of the council); Runnington, anc. _Runenton_ (the town of the council); Runnymede (the meadow of the council).

[Sidenote: RYBA (Sclav.),]

fish; _e.g._ Rybnik, Rybniza (the fish pond); Rybinsk, Rybnaia (fish town).

[Sidenote: RYSCH, or ROW (Sclav.),]

a dam or ditch; _e.g._ Prierow (near the dam); Prierosbrück (the bridge near the dam); Ryswick (the town on the dam); Riez, Rieze, Riezow, Riezig (at the dam).

S

[Sidenote: SA (Sclav.), ZA,]

behind; _e.g._ Sabor (behind the wood); Zadrin (behind the R. Drin); Zamosc (behind the moss); Zabrod (behind the ford); Zablat (behind the marsh).

[Sidenote: SABHALL (Gadhelic),]

a barn; _e.g._ Saul, Co. Down, anc. _Sabhall-Patrick_ (Patrick’s barn), being the first place of worship used by St. Patrick in Ireland; Saval (the barn used as a church), near Newry; Drumsaul (the barn or church on the ridge); Sawel, a mountain in Ireland, probably from the same root; Cairntoul, a hill in Aberdeenshire, originally _Carn-t-Sabhall_ (the cairn of the barn).

[Sidenote: SABLE (Fr.),]

sand; _e.g._ Sable, Sablé, Sablat, Sablon, Sablières, La Sablonière, in France.

[Sidenote: SALH, SAEL (A.S.), SALIX (Lat.),]

the willow; _e.g._ Salehurst (willow copse); Salford (willow ford); Saul, in Gloucestershire (the place of willows). In France many places take their name from _Saule_, Fr. (the willow); _e.g._ Sailly, from _Salicetum_ (a place planted with willows), as also Saux, Saules, Saulzais, etc.

[Sidenote: SALL (Teut.), ZAAL,]

a stone dwelling; _sel_, a cottage, cognate with the Span. and Port. _sala_; _e.g._ Hohensale (high dwelling); Nordsehl (north dwelling); Oldenzeel (old dwelling); Eversal (the dwelling of the wild boar); Brunsele (the dwelling at the well); Holzselen (at the wood); Laufenselden (the dwelling near the waterfall); Marsal (on the marsh), in France. In Spain: Salas (the halls); Salas-de-la-ribera (the dwellings on the river-bank); Salas-de-los-Infantes (the dwellings of the infantry); Upsal, Scand. _Upsalr_ (the high halls), in Sweden.

[Sidenote: SALZ (Ger.), SALANN (Gadhelic), SOL (Sclav.), HALEN (Cym.-Cel.),]

salt, cognate with the Lat. _sal_ and the Grk. _hals_; _e.g._ the Rivers Saale, Salzach, Salzbach, Sal, Salat (salt stream); Salies, Salins, Salinas, Salines, Salenillas, Salskaia, place-names in France, South America, and Russia (in the neighbourhood of salt mines or springs); Saalfeld, on the R. Saal, in Saxony; also Saalfelden, in Austria (the salt field); Salamanca, in Spain, anc. _Salmantica_ (the place in the neighbourhood of salt springs); Salzburg, on the R. Salzach; Salzbrunn (the salt well); Salzkammergut (the public treasury of the salt-works); Soultz or Soultzbad (the saline bath); Soultzbach (the salt brook); Soultz-sous-forets (the salt springs under the woods); Soultzmatt (the meadow of the salt springs); Selters, anc. _Saltrissa_, in Nassau, near the Selzar or mineral springs; Saltzkotten (the huts of the salt miners), in Westphalia; Solikamsk (the town of the salt-works on the R. Kama), in Russia; _salt_ and _saltz_, as affixes, are also applied to dwellings on the sea-coast, thus--Westersalt, Ostersalt, Neusaltz (the west, east, and new watering-place by the sea); but Salton, a parish in East Lothian, does not come from this word. It is said to have derived its name from Nicolas de Soules, who possessed that part of the country in the thirteenth century. _Hal_, the Celtic word for salt, still exists in the names of places where there are or were salt-works; _e.g._ Haling, in Hants; Halton, in Cheshire; Halsal and Hallaton, in Lancashire; Halle, in Prussian Saxony, stands on the R. Saala; Reichenhall, on the Saale; Hallein, on the Salza, near the salt mines in Tyrol.

[Sidenote: SANG (Ger.),]

a place cleared of wood by burning, from _sengen_, to burn; _e.g._ Feuersang (the fire clearing); Altensang (the old clearing); but Vogelgesang means the place of singing-birds.

[Sidenote: SARN (Welsh),]

a road. The word _sarn_ refers to the old Roman road which the Emperor Maximus called in honour of his wife Helen, a Welsh princess whom he had married; _e.g._ Sarn-Helen (Helen’s road); Pen-Sarn (the head or end of the road); Tal-Sarn (the face of the road).

[Sidenote: SAX, SAHS (Teut.),]

a stone, cognate with the Lat. _saxum_; _e.g._ Sachsa (the stony water in the neighbourhood of quarries); Sasso, in Italy (the stone or tomb); Sassoferrato (the fortified rock); Sassuolo (the little rock or stone), in Italy; but these words, either as prefixes or affixes, in topography generally indicate places belonging to the Saxons, who were so called from the _seax_, a kind of sword which they used in warfare; thus Sachsenberg, Sachsenburg, Sachsenheim, Sachsendorf, Sassetot, denote the dwellings of the Saxons; Saxony, in Germany (peopled by Saxons); Sussex, Essex, and Wessex (the south, east, and west districts of the Saxons), in England; Saxby (the Saxons’ town), in Lincoln; Saxlingham (the home of the descendants of the Saxons), in Norfolk; Sassenberg (the Saxons’ hill), in Westphalia.

[Sidenote: SCALE, SKALI (Scand.), SHEAL, SHEALING (Scotch),]

a hut or shed; _e.g._ Scalby and Scaleby (hut town); Scalloway (the huts on the bay, _vig_), in Shetland; Galashiels (the huts on the R. Gala); Biggarshiels (the huts near the town of Biggar); Larbert, Co. Stirling, formerly _Lairbert-scheills_ (the huts of a man named Lairbert); North and South Shields, originally a collection of fishermen’s huts; but as _scald_, in the Scandinavian language, means a bard--that word is likely to have formed an element in place-names. Scaldwell is probably the bard’s well; Skalholt, in Iceland, may be the bard’s hill.

[Sidenote: SCAM (Old Ger.),]

little; _e.g._ Schambach, Schamach (the little stream).

[Sidenote: SCHANZE (Ger.),]

a bulwark; _e.g._ Rheinschanze (the bulwark of the Rhine); Hochschanze (high bulwark).

[Sidenote: SCHEIDE (Ger.),]

a watershed, from _scheiden_, to divide; _e.g._ Lennscheide, Remschede, Nettenscheide (the watershed of the Rivers Lenn, Rems, and Nette); but this word sometimes means a place separated by an enclosure from the surrounding land, as in Scheidhof (the separated or enclosed court); Scheidlehen (the separated fief).

[Sidenote: SCHENKE (Ger.),]

a public-house; _e.g._ Schenholtz (the wood near the public-house); Shenklein (the little public-house); Shenkendorf (the inn village).

[Sidenote: SCHEUNE (Ger.),]

a shed or barn; _e.g._ Ziegelscheune (the brick barn); Kalkscheune (lime-shed); Scheunenstelle (the place of sheds).

[Sidenote: SCHLAG (Ger.),]

a wood clearing or field; _e.g._ Leopoldschlag (the field of Leopold); Grafenschlag (of the count); Pfaffenschlag (of the priest); Kirchsclag (of the church); Schlagenwald (the cleared wood); Schlagberg and Schlaghöck (the cleared hill and corner); Murzuschlag (the clearing on the R. Murz), in Styria.

[Sidenote: SCHLANGE (Ger.),]

a snake; _e.g._ Slagenhorst (snake thicket); Schlangenbad (snake bath).

[Sidenote: SCHLEUSE (Ger.), SLUYS (Dutch), ECLUSE (Fr.),]

a sluice; _e.g._ Rhinschleuse (the sluice of the Rhine); Sluys, in Holland; and Slooten, also a town in Holland, on a lake of the same name (from _sloot_, a ditch); Sluispolder (the reclaimed land at the sluice); Schlusseburg, in Russia (the fortress at the sluice), built on an island at the spot where the R. Neva issues from Lake Ladoga; Helvoetsluis (the sluice on the Haring-vliet, an arm of the R. Maas); Fort de l’Ecluse (the fortress of the sluice), in France.

[Sidenote: SCHLOSS (Ger.),]

a castle; _e.g._ Marienschloss (the castle of the Virgin Mary); Heidenschloss (the castle on the heath); Schlossmühle (castle mill); Schlosshof (the castle court).

[Sidenote: SCHMAL (Ger.), SMAA (Scand.),]

little; _e.g._ Schmalkalden, anc. _Schmalenaha_ (the town on the small stream); Smalley, with the same meaning; Smaalehlen (the small fief), in Norway; Smallburgh (little town); Schmallenberg (little hill); Smailholm (little hill), a parish in Roxburghshire.

[Sidenote: SCHMEIDE (Ger.),]

a smithy; _e.g._ Nagelschmeide (the nail smithy); Schmeidefeld and Schmeidsiedel (the field and site of the smithy); Schmeideberg (the hill of the smithy).

[Sidenote: SCHWAIG (Old Ger.), SCHWEIG,]

a cattle-shed; _e.g._ Herrnschweige (the count’s cattle-shed); Brunswick, anc. _Braunsweig_ (Bruno’s shed, or the town of Bruno).

[Sidenote: SCHWAND (Ger.),]

a wood clearing; _e.g._ Schwand or Schwandt, in Bavaria; Schwanden, in Switzerland; Schwandorf (the village at the wood clearing).

[Sidenote: SCHWARZ (Ger.),]

black; _e.g._ Schwarza, Schwarzach, Schwarzbach, Schwarzwasser (black stream); Schwarzburg (black fortress); Schwarzberg (black mountain); Schwarzwald (black wood); Schwarzkreutz (the black cross).

[Sidenote: SCHWERE (Sclav.),]

a wild beast; _e.g._ Schwerin and Schwerinlake, in Mecklenburg; and Schwersentz, in Posen (places infested by wild beasts).

[Sidenote: SCIR (A.S.), SCER,]

clear, bright; _e.g._ Sherbourne (the clear stream); but this word is sometimes used instead of _scyre_, a division or shire, as in Sherwood (the wood where the shire meetings were held); Sherston (shire boundary stone); Shardlow and Shardhill (the boundary hill); Sharnford (the boundary ford); Sharrington (the town of the children of the shire or division).

[Sidenote: SEANN (Gadhelic),]

old; _e.g._ Shanmullagh (the old summit); Shandrum (the old ridge); Shangarry (the old garden); Shanbally and Shanvally (the old dwelling); Shanbo, Shanboe, and Shanbogh (the old hut), in Ireland; also Shankill (old church), and Shandon, Irish _Seandun_ (old fort). There are several places in Ireland called Shannon from this word, but it is uncertain what is the origin of the R. Shannon, whose ancient name was _Senos_; Sanquhar, Gael. _Seann-Cathair_ (the old fortress), in Dumfriesshire, named from an old castle near the town.

[Sidenote: SEE (Ger.), ZEE (Dutch),]

a lake or sea; _e.g._ Ostsee and Oostzee (east lake); Zuyderzee (the Southern Sea); Zealand and Zeeland (land surrounded by the sea); Gransee (boundary or corner lake); Bodensee or Lake Constance, named from _Bodami-Castrum_, the castle of the legate of the Carlovingian kings on its shore, and latterly from a fortress erected by Constantine the Great; Dolgensee, Sclav. (the long lake); the Plattensee (the lake on the marsh, _blatto_); Unterseen (below the lakes); the Red Sea, the translation of the sea of _Edom_ (the red).

[Sidenote: SEIFEN (Ger.),]

a place where metals are washed; _e.g._ Seifen and Seifendorf (towns where metals were washed); Seifengold (where gold is washed); Seifenzinn (where tin is washed); Seifenwerk (the hill of the metal washing).

[Sidenote: SEILLE,]

an affix in French and Belgian topography, signifying a wood or forest, derived from the Lat. _saltus_ and _sylva_; _e.g._ Baseille (low wood); Haseille (high wood); Forseille (out of the wood); Senlis, Lat. _Civitas Sylvanectensium_ (the town of the _Sylvanectes_, _i.e._ dwellers in the woods); Savigny and Souvigny, Lat. _Sylvaniacum_ (in the woods); Selvigny, Souvigné, with the same meaning; La-silve-bénite (the blessed wood); Silve-réal (royal wood), etc., in France; Transylvania (the district beyond the woods)--its Hungarian name, _Erdely-Orsag_, means the woody country; Selwood, anc. Brit. _Coit-mawr_, Lat. _Sylva-magna_ (the great wood), perhaps Selby, in Yorkshire.

[Sidenote: SELENY, or ZIELENY (Sclav.),]

green; _e.g._ Selinga (the green river); Zelendorf (green village); Zielonagora (green mountain); Zieleng-brod (green ford); Zielenzig and Szelenek (green place).

[Sidenote: SELIG (Teut.),]

holy; _e.g._ Seligenstadt, Seligenfeld, Seligenthal (the holy place, field, valley); Sellyoak (holy oak), perhaps Selby, in Yorkshire, if it is not from _sylva_, wood.

[Sidenote: SET, SEATA (A.S.), ZETEL (Dutch), SITZ (Ger.), SSEDLIO (Sclav.), SUIDHE (Gadhelic),]

a seat, settlement, or possession, cognate with the Lat. _sedes_; _e.g._ Dorset (the settlement of the _Durotriges_, _i.e._ dwellers by the water); Wiltshire, anc. _Wilsaetan_ (the settlement on the R. Willy); Shropshire, anc. _Scrobsaetan_ (the settlement among shrubs); Somerset, named from _Somerton_ (the summer seat of the West Anglo-Saxon kings); Settle, in Yorkshire (the settlement); Sittingbourne, in Kent (the settlement on the brook). In the Lake District, colonised by Norsemen, this word often takes the form of _side_; _e.g._ Ormside, Ambleside, Kettleside, Silverside (the settlement of Ormr, Hamel, Ketyl, Soelvar), etc.; Pecsaeten (the settlement at the peak), in Derbyshire; Alsace, anc. _Alsatia_, _i.e._ the _other_ settlement, with reference to the German settlements on the west bank of the Rhine, as distinguished from the Franks or _Ripuari_, on the east; Holstein, anc. _Holtsatia_ (the settlement in the woods); Waldsassen (wood settlement); Winkelsass and Endzettel (the corner settlement); Neusass, Neusiedel, and Neusohl (the new settlement); Einsiedeln (the settlement of Eina), in Switzerland; Wolfsedal (of Wolfa); Soest or Söst, in Prussia, for _Suth-satium_ (the southern seat). In Sclavonian names we have Sedlitz (the possession); Stary-Sedlo (the old possession); Sedlitz-gross (the great settlement); Sursee, in Switzerland (the seat or dwelling, Old Fr. Zi), on the R. Sur; Sion or Sitten, in Switzerland, Cel. _Suidh-dunum_ (the seat on the hill-fort). In Ireland: Seagoe, Irish _Suidhe-Gobha_ (St. Gobha’s seat); Seeoran (Oran’s seat); Seaghanbane (the white seat); Seaghandoo (the black seat); Shinrone, anc. _Suidhe-an-roin_ (literally the seat of the seal, but figuratively of a certain hairy man); Hermosillo, in Mexico, Span. (beautiful seat).

[Sidenote: SHAN (Chinese),]

a mountain; _e.g._ Shan-tung (east of the mountain); Shan-se (west of the mountain); Thian-Shan (the celestial mountain).

[Sidenote: SHAMAR (Pers.),]

a river; _e.g._ Samer, Samara, Sambre, river names. The Samur, which flows into the Sea of Asoph.

[Sidenote: SHAW (A.S.), _sceaga_, SKEG (Scand.),]

a wood or grove; _e.g._ the Shaws, in Cumberland and Lanarkshire; Birchenshaw (the birch grove); Pollokshaws (the woods near the village of Pollok); Bradshaw (broad wood); Shaugh-Prior (the prior’s wood); Shawbury (the town in the wood); Evershaw (the wood of the wild boar, _eofer_); Skegness (the headland of the wood).

[Sidenote: SHEHR (Pers.), CHERI (Tamil),]

a dwelling; _e.g._ Begshehr (the dwelling of the beg or bey); Abou-shehr (the dwelling of Abou); Allah-shehr (God’s house); Eskshehr (old dwelling); Yenishehr (new dwelling); Anoopshehr (incomparable dwelling); Pondicherry, originally _Pudicheri_ (new dwelling or town); Paraicherie (the village of Pariahs)--probably Shiraz and Shirvan belong to this root.

[Sidenote: SIDH, SITH (Gadhelic),]

a fairy or a fairy hill. The belief in these supernatural beings is still general among the Celtic races. It was believed that they resided in the interior of pleasant hills called _sidhe_ or _siodha_. The word frequently takes the form of _shee_, as in the Shee Hills, in Co. Meath; Glenshee, in Perthshire; Mullaghshee (the fairy hillock); Sheetrim, _i.e._ _Sidh-dhruim_ (the fairy ridge), the old name of the rock of Cashel; Killashee (the church near the fairy hill); Rashee (the fort of the fairies); also Shean, Sheann, Sheane, Shane, in Ireland.

[Sidenote: SIERRA (Span.), CERRO (Port.),]

a mountain chain, having a serrated appearance, from the Lat. _serra_, a saw; or perhaps from the Ar. _sehrah_, an uncultivated tract of land, being the root of the desert of Sahara, in Africa; _e.g._ Sierra-de-fuentes (the mountain chain of the fountains); Sierra-de-los-vertientes (of the cascades); Sierra Leone (of the lion); Sierra-Calderona (the mountain chain with the cauldrons or craters); Sierra-de-las-Monas (of the apes); Sierra Morena (the dark mountain range); Sierra Nevada (the snowy); Sierra Estrella (the starry mountain range); Sierra-de-Culebra (of the snake); Sierra-de-gata (of agates); Esmeraldas-Serradas (the emerald mountains), in Brazil; Cerro-da-vigia (the mountain of observation); Cerro-de-la-Giganta (of the giantess); Cerro-largo (broad mountain); Cerro-gordo (fruitful mountain); Cerro-del-cobre (of the snake); but _serra_, in Italian, means a narrow place--as in Serra-capriola (the narrow place of the goats); and Serra-Monascesca (of the monks).

[Sidenote: SKAER (Scand.), SGOR and SGEIR (Gadhelic),]

a sharp rock-allied to the Welsh _skerid_, cleft asunder, _ysgariad_; _e.g._ Skerid-fawn and Skerid-fach (the great and little skerid or division). _Esgair_ is another word from the same root, applied to a long ridge; _e.g._ Esgair-hir (the long ridge); Esgair-graig (the rock ridge)--_e.g._ Scarcliff (the cliff of the sharp rock); Nashscaur (the promontory of the steep rock); Scarborough (the town on the rock or cliff); Scorton, with the same meaning, in Yorkshire; Scarnose and Scarness (the sharp cape); Skerryford, Skeerpoint, on the coast of Wales; Sheerness (the sharp headland), on the Thames; Scaranos, with the same meaning, on the coast of Sicily; Scarabines (the sharp points), in Caithness; Scuir (a sharp rock), on the island of Egg; Scordale, in Westmoreland, and Scordal, in Iceland (the valley of the steep rock); Scarsach (abounding in steep rocks), in Perth; Scarba (the island of the sharp rock), and Scarp, in the Hebrides; the Skerry and the Skerries, in the Shetlands, and on the coast of Ireland and Wales; Skerry-vore (the great rock), in the Hebrides.

[Sidenote: SKAW, SKAGI (Scand.),]

an isthmus or promontory; _e.g._ the Skaw or Skagen Cape, on the coast of Denmark; Skagerack or Skagen-rack (the strait near the promontory).

[Sidenote: SKI, SK, SKIA,]

an affix in Sclav. topography, signifying a town, often annexed to the name of the river near the town, or to the name of its founder; _e.g._ Tobolsk, Tomsk, Pinsk, Vitepsk, Volsk, Omsk, on the Rivers Tobol, Tom, Pina, Viteba, Volga, Om; Irkutsk, Berdiansk, Bielorietzk, Bobroninsk, Illginsk, Miask, Olekminsk, Okhotsk, Olensk, on the Rivers Irkut, Berda, Biela, Bobronia, Ilga, Miass, Olekma, Okhota, and Olenek; Bielozersk (the town on the white island); Jarensk (the town on the Jarenga or strong river); Kesilskaia (on the red river); Krasno-Ufimsk (the beautiful town of the R. Ufa); Petsk (silk town), in Turkey, where the mulberry-tree is extensively cultivated; Yakutsk (the town of the Yakuts, a Tartar tribe); Salskaia, on the R. Sal; Sviajsk (the town on the Sviga, holy river); Sviatskaia (the town of Sviatovid, a Sclav. deity); Dmitrovisk (the town of Demetrius, a Russian saint); Kupiansk and Kupiszki (the town on the promontory, _kupa_).

[Sidenote: SKIP (Scand.), SCHAEF (A.S.),]

a sheep; _e.g._ Skipton, Skipwich, Schaefheim (sheep town); Shapfells (sheep hills); Sheppey (sheep island); Skipsia (sheep’s stream); Schaefmatt (sheep meadow); Shefford (sheep’s ford); Scaefstadt (sheep town).

[Sidenote: SLIABH, SLIEVE, or SLIEU (Gadhelic),]

a mountain or heath, akin to the Ger. _sliet_, a declivity; _e.g._ Slieve-Anieran (the iron mountain), so called from its mines; Slievesnaght (snowy mountains); Slieve-Bernagh (gapped mountain); Bricklive (speckled mountain); Beglieve (small mountain). In all these places in Ireland the original names have been corrupted: Sleaty (the mountains); Sleeven (the little hill); Slievenamon, _i.e._ _Sliabh-na-mban-fion_ (the mountain of the fair women or fairies); Slievebloom (Bladh’s mountain); Slieve-beagh (birch-tree hill); Slieve-corragh (rugged hill); Slieveroe (the red hill); Sliabh-cuailgne, now the Cooley Mountains, in Ireland; Sleibhe-Cuillinn (the Coolin or Cuchullin Hills), in Skye; Slamannan (the _sliabh_ or moor of the district formerly called _Manan_, parts of Stirling and Clackmannanshire).

[Sidenote: SLOG (A.S.),]

a slough or marshy place; _e.g._ Slough, Co. Bucks; Sloby, Slawston, Slaugham (the dwelling on the marshy ground).

[Sidenote: SLUAGH (Gadhelic),]

a multitude, a host; _e.g._ Ballinasloe (the ford-mouth of the hosts), in Co. Galway; Srahatloe, _i.e._ _Srath-a’-tsluagh_ (the river holm of the hosts); Knockatloe and Tullintloy (the hill of the hosts), in Ireland.

[Sidenote: SNAID, SNOED (Teut.),]

a separated piece of land, from the Old Ger. _sniden_ and Modern Ger. _schneiden_ (to cut); _e.g._ Eckschnaid (the oak snaid); Hinterschnaid (behind the snaid); Snaith, in Yorkshire; Snead, Montgomery; Sneyd, Co. Stafford; Sneaton (the town on the snaid); Snodland and Snodlands (the separated lands); Snodhill (the hill on the snaid).

[Sidenote: SOC (A.S.), SOKE (Scand.),]

a place privileged to hold local courts; _e.g._ Thorpe-le-Soke and Kirby-le-Soken (the village and church-town where the courts were wont to be held); Walsoken and Walton-le-Soken (the place near the _wall_, or perhaps the _well_, where the court was held); Sockbridge and Sockburn (the bridge and stream near the court station).

[Sidenote: SOTO (Span.),]

a grove; _e.g._ Soto, the name of several places in Spain; Sotilla (the little grove); Sotilla-de-las-Palomas (the little grove of the doves); Sotilla-de-la-ribera (the little grove of the river-bank).

[Sidenote: SPINA (Lat.), EPINE (Fr.),]

a thorn; _e.g._ Epinac, Epinal, Epinay, in France; Espinosa, in Spain (the thorny place); Epinville (the thorny villa); Epineuil (the thorny fountain, _œuil_); Epinoy, Epineuse, etc., in France; Speen, in Co. Berks, anc. _Spinæ_ (the thorny place).

[Sidenote: SPITAL (Nor.-Fr.), YSPYTTY (Cym.-Cel.), SPIDEAL (Gadhelic),]

an hospital or place of entertainment for strangers or invalids, from the Lat. _hospitium_; _e.g._ Spittal, in Caithness and Co. Pembroke; Spittle, in Cheshire and in Berwickshire; the Spital of Glenshee, in Perthshire; Dalna-Spidal (the field of the hospital); Spittalfields, in Middlesex; Yspytty-Rhew-Ystwith, on the R. Ystwith; Yspytty-Evan (Evan’s hospital), in Wales; Llanspithid, in Brecknock, which derived its name from an ancient _Ysbytty hospitium_ that existed here, supported by the priory of Malvern. These names and many others in England and Scotland derived their names from hospitals attached to religious houses in the Middle Ages.

[Sidenote: SPRING (Teut.), SPRONG (Scand.),]

a water-source; _e.g._ Springthorpe (the farm at the fountain); Adlerspring (the eagle’s fountain); Lippspring (at the source of the R. Lippe); Springe (at the source of the R. Haller); Magdespring (the maiden’s fountain).

[Sidenote: SRATH (Gadhelic), YSTRAD (Cym.-Cel.),]

an extensive valley, Anglicised _strath_; _e.g._ Strathmore and Strathbeg (the great and little valleys); Strathavon, Strathblan, Strathbogie, Strathconan, Strathearn (the valleys of the Rivers Avon, Blane, Bogie, Conan, and Earn); Strathyre, corrupt. from _Srathiar_ (the western valley, with reference to Strathearn, the eastern), in Perthshire; Strathclyde, Strathnaver, Strathspey, Strathallan, Strathpeffer, Strathbran, Strathgriffe (the valleys of the Rivers Clyde, Naver, Spey, Allan, Peffer, Bran, and Griffe); Strath Tary, in Sutherlandshire (the bull’s strath, _tairebb_); Strichen, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from _Srath-Ugie_ (the valley of the R. Ugie); Strathdon, corrupt. from _Srath-domhain_ (the valley of the deep river); Ystrad-Tywy (the valley of the R. Tywy), in Wales; Ystrad-yw (yew-tree valley or the valley of the brook Ywen); Yester, a parish in East Lothian, from _Ystrad_; Ystrad-fflur (the flowery valley), called by the Romans _Strata-Florida_; Ystrad-gwnlais (the valley of the trench, _clais_, through which a stream flows); Straiton, in Ayrshire (the town on the Strath); Traquhair (sheep valley).

[Sidenote: SRON (Gadhelic), TRWYN (Cym.-Cel.),]

a nose, hence a promontory; _e.g._ Stronaba (the cow’s promontory); Stronaclacher (the stony promontory); Stronechrigen (the rocky point); Stronfearn (the point of the alders); Strondeas (the southern point); Strontian (the little promontory); Sorn, in Ayrshire, named from an ancient castle situated on a rocky headland; Troon (the promontory), on the Ayrshire coast; Sroan-keeragh (the sheep’s promontory); Shrone-beha (birch-tree promontory), in Ireland; Duntroon Castle (the fortress on the promontory), in Argyleshire; Turnberry Head, in Ayrshire, from _trwyn_; also Trwyn Point, in Ayrshire; Au-tron (on the point), in Cornwall; Trwyn-y-Badan (the promontory of the boats), in Wales.

[Sidenote: SRUTH, SRUTHAIR (Gadhelic), SROTA (Sansc.),]

a river or flowing water; _sru_, Sansc., to flow--cognate with _stroum_, Teut., _struja_, Sclav.; _e.g._ Srue, Sruh, Shrough, Sroughan (the stream), in Ireland; also Abbeyshrule (the abbey on the stream); Bealnashrura (the ford-mouth of the stream); Sroolane, Srooleen, Sruffan, and Sruffaun (little stream); Killeenatruan, anc. _Cillin-a-tsruthain_ (the little church of the stream); Anstruther in Fife, and Westruther in Berwickshire, probably from the same root; but Strowan, in Perthshire, is named for St. Rowan; Ardstraw, in Tyrone, is a corrupt. of _Ard-sratha_ (the height near the bank of the stream).

[Sidenote: STACKR (Scand.), STUAIC (Gadhelic),]

a projecting rock or point; _e.g._ the Stack Rocks and South Stack, on the coast of Wales; the Stags, on the Irish coast; Stack Island, Wales; and St. Bude’s Stack. In Ireland this word is generally Anglicised into _stook_; thus--the Stookans (the little rock pinnacles), near the entrance of the Giant’s Causeway; Stookan and Stookeen (the little rock).

[Sidenote: STADT and STATT (Ger.), STEDE, or STEAD (A.S.),]

a place or town; _gestade_, a station for ships; _stadel_, a small town; _staeth_, a bank or shore; _e.g._ Carlstadt, TheresienStadt, Christianstadt (towns named after one of the German emperors, Charles, after the Empress Theresa, and after Christian IV. of Sweden); Darmstadt, Illstadt, Stadt-Steinach, Lippstadt (towns on the Rivers Darm, Ill, Steinach, and Lippe); Bleistadt (lead town), near lead mines; Brahestadt, in Russia (founded by Count Brahe); Elizabethstadt, Hung. _Ebes-falva_, named after the Empress Elizabeth; Frederickstadt (Frederick’s town), in Denmark and in Norway; Gerbstadt, in Saxony (the town of Gerbert); Glückstadt, Lat. _Fanum-fortunæ_ (the fortunate town or the temple of fortune); Halbertstadt (the town of Albert); Heiligenstadt (holy town); Hermanstadt (the town of Herman, one of the Germans who colonised certain German cities in Transylvania in the twelfth century); Ingoldstadt, in Bavaria (the town of Ingold)--the name of this town was mistranslated by Latin and Greek authors into _Auripolis_ and _Chrysopolis_ (the golden city); Rudolstadt (the town of Rudolph); Grimstadt, in Norway, and Grimstead, in Co. Wilts (the town of Grim, a common Scandinavian name); Stade (the station), in Hanover; Scoppenstadt, in Brunswick, anc. _Scipingestete_ (the ship station); Stadt-am-hop (the town at the court), in Bavaria; Tennstadt, anc. _Dannenstedi_ (the station of the Danes), in Saxony; Kroppenstadt, the Germanised form of the Sclav. _Grobenstadt_ (the count’s town); Reichstadt (rich town); Altstadt (old town); Elstead, in Sussex and in Surrey (the place of Ella, the Saxon); Stadhampton (the town at the home place), in Oxford; Thaxsted (the thatched place), in Essex; Boxstead (the place of beech-trees, or of the Bokings, a patronymic); Hampstead (the home place); Wanstead (Woden’s place); Armenianstadt, in Transylvania, colonised by Armenians in 1726; Staithes (the banks), in Cumberland; Stathern (the dwelling on the bank), Leicester; Halstead, A.S. _Haelsted_ (a healthy place).

[Sidenote: STAEF, STAUF (Teut.), STAV (Scand.),]

a stake or pole, also, in Germany, applied to a perpendicular rock; _e.g._ Stauffenberg (the mountain with pillar-like rocks), in Lower Hesse; Donaustauff (the steep rock on the Danube); Hohenstauffen (the high rocks), in Wurtemberg; Regenstauf (the rock on the R. Regen); Staufen (a fort situated on a rock), in Baden; Staffa (the island with the pillar-like rocks), off the coast of Argyleshire; Staffenloch (the lake of the pillars), in the Island of Skye.

[Sidenote: STAL, STUHL (Teut.), STELLE,]

a stall, place, or seat; _e.g._ Hohenstellen (the high place); Herstal (the place of the army); Tunstall (the place on the hill, _dun_), in Co. Stafford.

[Sidenote: STAN (A.S.), STEIN (Ger.), STEEN (Dutch),]

a stone or rock, and in topography sometimes applied to a rock-fortress; _e.g._ Staunton, Steynton (the town on the stony ground); Stanton, in Gloucestershire, named from a remarkable stone in the neighbourhood); Fewstone (fire stone), in Yorkshire, said to have been named from a fire-circle near the place; Staines (the stones), in Middlesex, marking the jurisdiction of the mayor of London; Stantz (the stony place), in Switzerland; Steenbeke, Steenbegue, Steinbach (the stony brook); Stanley (stony field), in Yorkshire; Steenbirge, Steenbrugge, Steenhout, Steenkirche (the stony hill, bridge, wood, church), in Belgium; Steenvorde (stony ford); Stein-am-anger (the rock on the field); Steinitz (the German rendering of _Sczenz_, dog town), in Moravia; Offenstein (the fortress of Offa); Lahnstein (the fortress on the R. Lahn); Lauenstein (the lion’s fortress, with reference to some person who bore that sobriquet); Ehrenbreitstein (the broad stone of honour); Stennis (the headland of the stones), in Orkney; Hauenstein, in Baden (the hewn rock), so called because the precipices of the Jura in that locality resemble masonry; Ysselstein (the rock on the R. Yssel); Bleistein (lead rock), near lead mines, in Bavaria; Dachstein, in Alsace, anc. _Dagoberti Saxum_ (the rock of Dagobert); Frankenstein (the rock of the Franks); Falkenstein (of the falcon or of the personal name Falk); Greiffenstein (of the vulture); Schaunstein (the beautiful rock or fortress); Neckar-Steinach (the stony place on the Neckar); Iselstein, on the Isel; Wetterstein, on the Wetter; Buxton, in Derbyshire, was named from the piles of stones called buck-stones, found in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire moors; Standish, in Gloucestershire, corrupt. from _Stonehouse_. In some cases the affix _stone_ is used instead of _town_ or _ton_, as in Maidstone, A.S. _Medwegston_, Cel. _Caer-Medwig_ (the town on the R. Medway); Goodmanstone (the priest’s town), Dorsetshire; and in Cumberland and Westmoreland, where the Norsemen had settlements, this word often marks the site of the grave of one of their heroes, as in Haroldstone, Hubberstone, Thurston, Gamfrestone, Silverstone, Stanton, Drew (the Druid’s stone), in Somersetshire, near an ancient stone-circle; Kingston, in Surrey, where in the centre of the town is still shown the _stone_ on which the A.S. kings were crowned.

[Sidenote: STAN (Pers.), STHANA (Sansc.),]

a district or region; _e.g._ Hindostan (the district watered by the R. Indus, Pers. _hindu_--water); Affghanistan (the district of the Affghans, who are said to have taken their designation from a certain chief called Malik Afghāna); Rajpootana (the district of the Rajpoots or king’s sons); Kurdistan (of the Kurds); Beloochistan (of the Beluchis); Gurgistan or Georgia (the district watered by the R. Kur or Kyros); Kaffaristan or Kaffraria (of the unbelievers); Arabistan (of the Arabs); Bootan (the district of the Highlanders); Dushistan (the south region), also called _Gurmsir_ (warm country); Gulistan (the district of roses); Baghistan (of gardens); Khorasan (the country of the sun); Zangistan or Zanguebar, Pers. and Ar. (the country or coast-lands of the Zangis)--_v._ BAHR.

[Sidenote: STAPLE (Teut.),]

literally a prop, support, or heap; but in the commerce of the Middle Ages it was applied, in the first place, to the buildings or towns in which the chief products of a district were treasured up or sold; and, in the second place, to the commodities themselves; _e.g._ Stapleton (the town of the market); Staplehurst and Stapleford (the wood and ford near the market-place); Dunstable (the market-place on the hill), formerly _Dunstaple_; Whitstable (white market-place); Barnstaple, anc. _Berstable_ (the market-place for the produce of the district--_beor_, what it bears). In France: Etaples, L’étape, Staple, etc.

[Sidenote: STARY (Sclav.),]

old; _e.g._ Stargard, Starogard (the old fortress); Stary-sedlo, Storosele, Starosol (the old settlement); Starodub (the old oak-tree); Starwitz, Staria, Starinka, Stariza (old place); Starobielsk (the old town on the R. Biela); Staro-Constantinov (the old town of Constantine). In places where the population is chiefly German this word takes the form of _stark_, as in Starkenburg, Starkenhorst; Istarda or Starova (old town), in Turkey; Staroi-Oskol (the old town on the R. Oskol, in opposition to Novoi-Oskol, the new town on that river).

[Sidenote: STEIG, STIG, STY (Teut. and Scand.),]

a steep path; _e.g._ Stickney (the island or watery meadow by the steep path); Kirchsteg (the steep path to the church); Durnsteeg (thorny path); Stiegmühle (the mill on the steep path); Amsteg (at the steep path).

[Sidenote: STEORT (A.S.), STERZ (Old Ger.),]

the tail--in topography a point; _e.g._ Startpoint, in Devonshire; Starston (the town on the point); Sterzhausen, Sterzmühle, Staartpolder--_v._ HAUS, MÜHLE, POLDER; Staartven (the marsh on the point).

[Sidenote: STEPPES (Sclav.),]

an uncultivated waste--a word applied to the extensive desert plains in Russia.

[Sidenote: STER, or ESTER,]

in Brittany, a stream; _e.g._ Ster-boueux (the muddy stream); Stercaer (the stream at the fort); Sterpoulder (of the black pool), etc. According to Forsteman, there is a Teutonic river-root, _str_, which he finds in the names of 100 German streams; _e.g._ Elster, Alster, Wilster, Gelster, Laster, and _Ister_--an ancient name of the Danube--Stour, Stura, etc.

[Sidenote: STER (Scand.),]

Old Norse _setr_ (a station or place), contracted from _stadr_ (a place); _bu-stadr_ (a dwelling-place), contracted to _bister_ or _buster_; _e.g._ Grunaster (green place); Keldabister (the place at the well or fountain); Kirkbuster (the dwelling at the church); Hesting-ster (the settlement of Hesting). The same word appears in the names given by the Danes to three of the provinces of Ireland--Ulster, for the Irish _Uladh_, _i.e._ _Ulla-ster_; Leinster, Irish _Laighen_ or _Layn_; Munster, Irish _Mumha_ (named after a king).

[Sidenote: STOC, STOW (Teut.),]

literally a stake or the trunk of a tree, applied at first to a place protected by a stockade, or surrounded by stocks or piles; and in German topography sometimes applied to hills, as in Hochstock (high hill); Stockheim (the home on the hill); sometimes to places built upon stakes, as in Stockholm. In Great Britain, standing alone, it means simply the place, as Stock, in Essex; Stow, a parish in Mid Lothian; Stoke-upon-Trent; Stow-in-the-Wold or waste land; Stoke-Bardolph, Stoke-Fleming, Stoke-Gabriel, Stoke-Poges, Stoke-Edith (named from the proprietors); Stow-market (the market-place); Stow-Upland (the place in the high lands); Kewstoke (at the quay); Elstow, in Wilts (old place); Elstow, in Bedford (St. Helen’s place), the site of a nunnery dedicated to that saint; Basingstoke (the place belonging to the Basings, a patronymic); Bridstow (St. Bridget’s place); Bristol, anc. _Briegstow_ (the place at the breach or chasm, _brice_, through which the R. Avon passes)--its Celtic name was _Nant-Avon_ (on the valley of the Avon); Padstow, in Cornwall, anc. _Petrocstowe_, Welsh _Llan-petroc_ (the place or church of St. Petroc); Tavistock and Tawstock (places on the Rivers Tavy and Taw). As a prefix, _stock_ often denotes the chief place in a district, as in Stockton (the chief town on the Tees), and in Stockport (the chief port on the Mersey).

[Sidenote: STOLL (Ger.),]

a mine-shaft; _e.g._ Stollenberg (the hill of the mine-shaft); Stollenschmeide (the smithy at the mine-shaft); but Stollenkirchen, _i.e._ _Stallinchirchun_, is from Stalla (a person’s name).

[Sidenote: STOLPE (Sclav.),]

a rising ground in a marshy place; _e.g._ Stolpe, the name of a circle and of several towns in Hungary and Pomerania; Stolpen, in Saxony.

[Sidenote: STÖR (Scand.),]

great; _e.g._ Störfiord (the great bay); Störhammer (great hill); Störoe (great island); Störaa (great river); Störsjon and Störsoen (great lake); Störa-kopparberg (the great copper mountain), in Sweden and Norway.

[Sidenote: STRAD (A.S.), STRASSE (Ger.), STRŒDE (Scand.), SRAID (Gadhelic), YSTRAD (Cym.-Cel.),]

a row, a street, a road, borrowed from the Lat. _strata_; _e.g._ Stratford (the ford near one of the great Roman roads, called streets); Stratford-le-Bow (the ford with the bow or bridge near the Roman road); Stratsett (the road station); Streatham and Stretton (the town on the road); Stratton, in Cornwall, and Stradbally, in Ireland (the village of one street); Straid, Strade (the street); Stradeen (little street), in Ireland; Strond, on the R. Strond; Strasbourg, in West Prussia (the town on the highway); but Strasbourg, in Alsace, anc. _Stratiburg_, is the German translation of its Latin name _Argentoriatum_ (the town of silver--_strati_, Teut., silver); Stony Stratford (the stony ford on the great Roman road, called Erming Street); Watling Street is said to have been named from _waedla_ (the mendicant or pilgrim); Icknield Street from the _Iceni_; Erming Street from _earm_ (a pauper).

[Sidenote: STRAZNA (Sclav.),]

a watch-tower, akin to the A.S. _streone_; _e.g._ Straznitz, in Moravia (the town with the watch-tower).

[Sidenote: STRELITZ (Sclav.),]

a huntsman; _e.g._ Strelitz-klein and Strelitz-gross (the great and little town of the huntsman, or of the _Strelitzi_, the name given to the lifeguards), in Russia; Strelitzkaia and Strielinskaia, with the same meaning.

[Sidenote: STROM, STROOM (Teut.),]

a stream or current; _e.g._ the Maelstrom (mill stream, so called from its rushing sound); Rheinstrom (the Rhine current); Stroomsloot (the sluice of the current); Stroma, Stromoe, Stromsoe, Stromay (the island of the current); Stromen and Stromstadt (the place near the current); Stromen-Fiorden (the bay of the current); Stromberg (the town or hill on the stream); Stromness (the headland of the current).

[Sidenote: SU (Turc.),]

water; _e.g._ Ak-su (the white stream); Kara-su (the black stream); Adji-su (bitter water).

[Sidenote: SUD, SUTH, SODER, SOUDEN,]

the south; Buttman traces this word to the sun, the oldest form of the word being _sundar_; _e.g._ Sonnenburg, Sonderhausen, Sundheim, Soudham, Southofen (the south dwelling or enclosure); Southdean (south hollow); Southwark, Dan. _Sydvirche_ (the south fortress); Southover (south shore); Suffolk (the district of the south people, as distinguished from Norfolk); Sutton and Sodbury (south town); Sudborne (south stream); Suderoe (south island); Sudetic Mountains (the southern mountain chain); Sudereys (the southern islands), a name applied by the Norsemen to all the British islands under their rule south of the Orkneys and north of the Island of Man--hence the bishoprick of _Sodor_ and Man; Sutherland (the land to the south of Caithness); Soderköping (the south market-town), in Sweden; Soest, in Prussia (on the Sosterbach); Sidlaw Hills (the south hills, in reference to their forming the south boundary of Strathmore).

[Sidenote: SUMAR, SOMAR (Teut.),]

summer; _e.g._ Somercotes, Somersall, Somerton (summer dwellings); Somerghem in Belgium, and Sommerberg in Bohemia, with the same meaning; but Somarsheim, in Hungary, is the German corrupt. of _Szomorfalva_ (the village of sorrow); Szmarja or Szent-marfa (St. Mary’s town), Germanised into _Sommarein_.

[Sidenote: SUND (Scand.),]

a strait; _e.g._ the Sound, between Sweden and Zealand; Christiansund, at the mouth of a narrow inlet, founded by Christian IV.; Frederichsund, on a narrow inlet in Zealand; Ostersund (the eastern strait), in Sweden; Stralsund (the arrow-like strait--_straele_, an arrow).

[Sidenote: SUNTARA (Teut.),]

privileged land; _e.g._ Frankensundern (the privileged place of the Franks); Beversundern (the privileged place on the R. Bever); Sontra, in Hesse-Homburg (the privileged place); Sunderland (the privileged land), in Durham.

[Sidenote: SZASZ (Hung.),]

Saxon; _e.g._ Szasvaros, Ger. _Sachsenstadt_ (the town or fortress of the Saxons), in Transylvania; Szasz-Sebes (the Saxon-Sebes or swift stream).

[Sidenote: SZENT (Hung.), SANT (Welsh),]

a saint; _e.g._ Szenta, Szentes (the saints’ town or holy town); _e.g._ Szendro (St. Andrew’s town); Mindszent (the town of All Saints); Szent-kercsyt (the town of the holy cross); Santarem, in Portugal, from St. Irene, Santiago (for St. James); St. Denis, named after St. Dionysius, where the remains of this saint were interred; St. Heliers, in Jersey (for St. Hilarius); Szent-György (St. George’s town); St. Ives, in Cornwall, named after an Irish saint called _Jia_, who came to that spot; St. Ives, in Huntingdon, named after Ivon, a bishop.

T

[Sidenote: TA (Chinese),]

great; _e.g._ Ta-kiang (the great river); Ta-Hai (the great lake); Ta-Shan (great mountain); Ta-Gobi (the great desert).

[Sidenote: TABERNA (Lat. and Span.), TAFARN (Welsh),]

an inn; _e.g._ Taberna, in Spain; Zabern-Rhein (the inn on the Rhine); Zabern-berg (the hill inn); Zabern-Elsass (the Alsatian inn), called in French _Savernæ_, corrupt. from the Lat. _Tabernæ_; Tavernes and Taverny, in France.

[Sidenote: TAING, TANGA (Teut. and Scand.), TUNGA,]

a tongue, a point of land; _e.g._ Tongue, a parish in Sutherlandshire; Tong, in Ross; Tongland, in Kirkcudbright, upon a peninsula formed by the Rivers Dee and Tarf; Tonge, in Lancashire; but Tongres, Tongrinnes, and Tongerloo, in Belgium, derive their names from the _Tungri_, a tribe; Tong-fell, in Cumberland, and Tangfjeld, Norway, and Tunga-fell, Iceland (the mountain with the tongue or point); Thong-castle, in Kent, and Thong-castor, near Grimsby.

[Sidenote: TAL (Cym.-Cel.),]

the forehead, or, as an adjective, high; _e.g._ Talgarth (the brow of the hill; Talibont (bridge-end, _pont_); Talbenny (the head of the hill-pen), in Wales. Tal-y-cavn (the head of the trough); Tal-y-Llychan (the head of the pools), in Caermarthen; Talachddu (the head of the black water, a small brook called Achddu), a parish in Brecknock.

[Sidenote: TAMH, TAW (Cym.-Cel.),]

quiet, cognate with A.S. _tam_, found in many river names; _e.g._ the Tame, Tamar, Tamer, Teane, Teign, Thame, Taw, Tawey, Tavoy, Tay, Temesch, Tees, Thames (the quiet water), joined to _uisge_, _a_, _y_, _o_, _or_, _ri_ (flowing water).

[Sidenote: TAMNACH (Gadhelic),]

a green field, common in Irish topography under various forms, such as Tawny, Tawnagh, Tonagh, and Taminy; _e.g._ Tonaghneeve, for _Tamhnaich-naemh_ (the field of the saints), now Saintfield; Tawnaghlahan (broad field); Tawnkeel (narrow field); Tamnaghbane (white field); Tavnaghdrissagh (the field of the briers).

[Sidenote: TANNA (Old Ger.),]

wood; _tanne_ (modern), the fir-tree; _e.g._ Niederthan (the lower wood); Hohenthan (high wood); Thanheim, Thanhausen, Tandorf (the dwellings at the wood); Tanberg (wood hill).

[Sidenote: TARBERT, or TAIRBERT (Gadhelic),]

an isthmus; _e.g._ Tarbet, in Cromarty and Ross; Tarbert, in Harris; Tarbet, on Loch Lomond; East and West Tarbert, in Argyleshire; Tarbetness (the point of the isthmus), in Ross-shire.

[Sidenote: TARBH (Gadhelic), TARW (Cym.-Cel.),]

a bull, cognate with the Lat. _taurus_ and the Grk. _tauros_; _e.g._ Knockatarriv and Knockatarry (the hill of the bull); Clontarf, anc. _Cluain-tarbh_ (the bull’s meadow); Cloontarriff and Cloontarriv, with the same meaning. Some river names, such as Tarf, Tarras, Tarth, Tarn, may have this word as a prefix, or perhaps _tara_, Irish, rapid.

[Sidenote: TARNIK (Sclav.),]

the thorn; _e.g._ Tarnowce and Tarnowitz (thorn village); Tarnau, Tarnow, Tornow, Torniz (a thorny place); Tarnograd (thorn fortress); Tarnopol (thorn city).

[Sidenote: TEACH and TIGH (Gadhelic), TY (Cym.-Cel.),]

a house or dwelling, cognate with the Lat. _tectum_, Ger. _dach_, and Scand. _tag_, a roof; Anglicised _tagh_, in the genitive, _tigh_. This word, under various forms, is common in Irish topography; _e.g._ Tagheen (beautiful house); Taghboy and Taghbane (the yellow and white house); Taghadoe (St. Tua’s house); Tiaquin, in Co. Galway, _i.e._ _Tigh-Dachonna_ (St. Dachonna’s house); Timahoe, for _Tech-Mochua_ (St. Mochua’s house or church). Joined to the genitive of the article, it takes the form of _tin_ or _tinna_, thus--Tinnahinch (the house of the island or river holm, _innis_); Tincurragh (of the marsh); Tinakilly (of the church or wood); Timolin (of St. Moling); Tigh-na-bruaich, in Argyleshire (the dwelling on the edge of the bank); Tynron, in Dumfries, _i.e._ _Tigh-an-roinne_ (the house on the point); Tyndrum, in Perthshire (the dwelling on the ridge); Tisaran, anc. _Teach-Sarain_ (the house of St. Saran), in King’s Co. Stillorgan, also in Ireland, corrupt. from _Tigh-Lorcain_ (the house of St. Lorcain or Lawrence); Saggard, from _Teach-Sacra_ (of St. Mosacra); Cromarty, anc. _Crum-bachtyn_ (the dwelling on the winding bay); Tinnick, in Ireland, _i.e._ _Tigh-cnuie_ (the house on the hill). In Wales: Ty-gwyn (white house); Ty-Ddewi (St. David’s house); Great Tey and Little Tey (great and little dwelling); Tey-at-the-elms, in Essex.

[Sidenote: TEAMHAIR (Irish),]

a palace situated on an elevated spot; _e.g._ Tara, anc. _Teamhair_, the ancient capital of Meath, and several other places called Tara, in Ireland. This word sometimes takes the form of _tavver_, _tawer_, or _tower_, as in Towerbeg and Towermore (the little and great palace).

[Sidenote: TEAMPULL (Gadhelic),]

a temple or church, derived from the Lat. _templum_; _e.g._ Templemichael, Templebredon (the churches of St. Michael and St. Bredon); Templemore (the great church or cathedral); Templecarriga (of the rock); Temple-tochar (of the causeway), in Ireland; Templemars and Talemars, in France, anc. _Templum-Martis_ (the temple of Mars).

[Sidenote: TEINE (Gadhelic), TÂN (Cym.-Cel.),]

fire. In topography this word is found in the forms of _tin_ and _tinny_, and must indicate spots where fires of special importance were wont to be kindled. Whether these fires were beacon-fires, or whether they referred to the Beltane fires kindled by the ancient Celts on May Day, cannot, in special cases, be determined; but that the Beltane fires were connected with the religious rites of the Druids is allowed, even by those who do not derive the word _Beltane_ from the name of a Celtic deity, or trace the observance of these rites to the sun and fire worship once alleged to have existed among the Celtic tribes, but now held to be an untenable theory by Celtic scholars.[5] In Ireland, near Coleraine, we find Kiltinny (the wood of the fire); Tamnaghvelton (the field of the Beltane sports); Clontinty, Co. Cork (the meadow of the fires); Mollynadinta, anc. _Mullaigh-na-dtaeinte_ (the summit of the fires); Duntinny (the fort of the fire), Co. Donegal. In Scotland _tinny_ is also found in topography, thus--Ardentinny and Craigentinny (the height and rock of the fire); Auchteany, and perhaps Auchindinny (the field of the fires); Tinto (the hill of the fire), in Lanarkshire.

[Sidenote: TEPETL (Astec),]

a mountain; _e.g._ Popocatepetl (the smoky mountain), in Mexico; Citlaltepetl (the star-like mountain--_citaline_, a star); Naucampatepetl (the square-shaped mountain), in Mexico.

[Sidenote: TEPLY (Sclav.),]

warm; _e.g._ Tepla (the warm stream); Tepel, on the R. Tepla (in the neighbourhood of warm mineral waters); Teplitz, the name of towns in Hungary, Bavaria, and Illyria, sometimes written Toplitz; Teplik and Teplovka, in Russia; Teflis, in Georgia, celebrated for its warm baths.

[Sidenote: TERRA (Lat., It., and Port.), TIERRA (Span.), TERRE (French), TIR (Gadhelic and Cym.-Cel.),]

land; _e.g._ Terciera (the rough land), in the Azores; Terranova (the new land), in Sicily, supposed to be on the site of the ancient Gela; Tierra-del-fuego (the land of fire), so named on account of the numerous fires seen on the land by the first discoverers; Terregles (church land); Tiree Island, Gael. _Tir-ith_ (the land of corn); Terryglas, _i.e._ _Tir-da-ghlas_ (the land of the two rivers), Co. Tipperary; Terryland, _i.e._ _Tir-oilein_ (the land of the island); Tyrone, anc. _Tir-Eoghain_ (Owen’s land); Tir-Rosser, _i.e._ _Tir-Rhos-hir_ (the long peat land), in Caermarthen; Pentir (the headland); Gwydir, from the roots _gwy_, water, and _tir_, a general term for moist land in different places in Wales. It was the ancient name of Glastonbury; Tiranascragh (the land of the sand hill, _esker_), Co. Galway; Tyrconell (the land of Conell), the ancient name of Co. Donegal; Carstairs, in Lanarkshire, anc. _Casteltarras_, probably corrupt. from _Castelterres_ (the castle lands), the castle in the village having been the site of a Roman station; Culter, in Lanarkshire, anc. _Cultir_ (the back of the land); _Finisterroe_ (land’s end), now Cape Finistère, the north-west extremity of France; Blantyre (warm land--_blane_, warm), in Lanarkshire; Terrebonne (good land), in Canada; Terre-haute (high land), in Indiana.

[Sidenote: THAL (Ger.),]

a valley--_v._ DAL.

[Sidenote: THING, or TING,]

a term applied by the Scandinavians to the legislative assemblies of their nation, and also to the places where these assemblies met, from an old word _tinga_, to speak. Traces of these institutions appear in the topography of certain districts in Great Britain formerly occupied by Danes or Norwegians. The Norwegian Parliament is still called the _Storthing_ or great assembly; smaller courts are called _Lawthings_, and the _Althing_ was the general assembly of the whole nation. These meetings were generally held on some remote island, hill, or promontory, where their deliberations might be undisturbed. The Swedish Parliament used to assemble on a mound near Upsala, which still bears the name of _Tingshogen_, Scand. _haugr_; Thingveller (the council-plains), in Iceland; Sandsthing (the place of meeting on the sand), in Iceland; Aithsthing (the meeting-place on the headland), in Iceland; Dingwall, in Ross-shire, has the same derivation--its Gaelic name is _Inverpeffer_ (at the mouth of that stream); Tingwall, in Shetland, Tynwald Hill, Isle of Man, Thingwall in Cheshire, and Dinsdale in Durham, from the same root; Tinwald, in Dumfries (the wood of the meeting); Tain, in Ross-shire, Norse _Thing_--its Gaelic name is _Baile-Duich_ (St. Duthic’s town).

[Sidenote: THOR and THUR,]

prefixes derived from the Saxon and Scandinavian deity _Thor_; _e.g._ Thorley, Thurley, Thursley, Thorsby, Thurlow, the valley, dwelling, and hill, named after Thor, or perhaps from a people or family name derived from the god, _i.e._ the _Thurings_, from whence also probably come Thorington in England, and Thorigné and Thorigny in France; Thüringerwald, in Germany; Thurston, Thursford, Thurscross, Thurlstone, etc.; Thorsoe (Thor’s island); Thurso (Thor’s stream, on which the town of Thurso is situated); Thorshaven (Thor’s harbour), in Norway and in the Faroe Islands. On the continent the god Thor was worshipped under the name of Thunor, hence the English word _thunder_ and the German _Donner_ (supposed, in the Middle Ages, to be Thor’s voice). From this word are derived Thunersberg and Donnersberg (the mountain of Thor); Donnersbach (Thor’s stream), in Styria; Torslunde (Thor’s sacred grove), in Denmark.

[Sidenote: THORPE (A.S.),]

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).

[Sidenote: THWAITE (Scand. _thveit_),]

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).

[Sidenote: TOBAR (Gadhelic),]

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.

[Sidenote: TOFT, TOT (Scand.),]

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.

[Sidenote: TOM (Gadhelic and Welsh),]

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).

[Sidenote: TON (A.S.), TUN (Scand.),]