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

by Christina Blackie

G

GABEL (Teut.),
GABHAL, or GOUL (Gadhelic),

a fork, applied to river forks; e.g. Gabelbach (the forked stream); Gabelhof (the court or dwelling at the forked stream), in Germany. In Ireland: Goul, Gowel, and Gowl (the fork); Gola (forks); Addergoul, Addergoule, and Edargoule, Irish Eadar-dha-ghabhal (the place between two river-prongs); Goule, in Yorkshire (on the fork of two streams).

GADEN (Ger.),

a cottage; e.g. Holzgaden (wood cottage); Steingaden (rock cottage).

GADR (Phœn.),
KARTHA,
KIRJATH (Heb.),

an enclosure, a city, or fortified place, from kir, a wall; e.g. Gades or Cadiz, anc. Gadr, in Spain; Carthage, anc. Kartha-hadtha (the new city, in opposition to Utica, the old); Carthagena (New Carthage); Kirjath-Arba (the city of Arba, afterwards Hebron); Kirjath-sepher (of the book); Kirjath-jearim (of forests); Kirjath-Baal (Baal’s town); Kirjath-Sannah (of palms); Keriathaim (the double town); Kir-Moab (the citadel of Moab); Cordova, in Spain, Phœn. Kartha-Baal (which may mean the city of Baal).

GAMA (Tamul),

a village; e.g. Alut-gama (new village), in Ceylon.

GANG (Ger.),

a narrow passage, either on land or by water; e.g. Birkengang (the birch-tree pass); Strassgang (a narrow street); Gangbach (the passage across the brook); Ganghofen (the dwelling at the ferry), on the R. Roth, in Bavaria.

GANGA, or GUNGA (Sansc.),

a river; e.g. Borra Ganga or the Ganges (the great river); Kishenganga (the black river); Neelganga (the blue river); Naraingunga (the river of Naranyana or Vishnu); Ramgunga (Ram’s river).

GARBH (Gadhelic),
GARW (Cym.-Cel.),

rough; e.g. Rivers Gara, Garry, Garwe, Garwy, Owengarve, Garonne, Garvault, Yair, Yarrow (rough stream); Garracloon (rough meadow); Garroch head or Ard-Kingarth (the point of the rough headland), in Bute; Garioch (the rough district), in Aberdeenshire.

GARENNE,

a word of Germanic or Celtic origin, from the Low Lat. warenna, and that from the High Ger. waran (to take precautions), had at first the sense of a protected or guarded place, and more lately of a wood to which was attached the exclusive right of the chase; e.g. La Garenne, Garenne, Varenne, Varennes, Warennes, in various departments of France.

GARIEF (South Africa),

a river; e.g. Ky-garief (yellow river); Nu-garief (black river).

GARRDH (Gadhelic), GARDD (Cym.-Cel.),

a garden; e.g. Garryowen (Owen’s garden); Gairyard (high garden); Ballingarry (the town of the garden); Garrane and Garrawn (the shrubbery); Garranbane (white shrubbery).

GARTH (Welsh),

a hill; e.g. Tal-garth (the brow of the hill), in Brecknockshire; Brecknock, named after Brychan, its king, who came from Ireland in the sixth century. Its ancient name was Garth-Madryn (the fox’s hill).

GARTH, GART (Teut. and Scand.),
GARRAD (Gadhelic),
GARRD, GARZ (Cym.-Cel.),

an enclosed place, either for plants or cattle, then a farm. It is sometimes found in the form of gort in Ireland and Scotland; e.g. Garton (the enclosure or enclosed town); Applegarth (the apple enclosure or farm); Hogarth (an enclosure for hay); Weingarten (an enclosure for vines, or a vineyard); Stuttgart and Hestingaard (an enclosure for horses); Nornigard (the sibyl’s dwelling, norn, a prophetess); Fishgarth or Fishguard (the fisher’s farm), in Wales; Noostigard (the farm at the naust or ship station); in Shetland; Smiorgard (butter farm); Prestgard (the priest’s farm); Yardley (the enclosed meadow); Yardborough (the enclosed town); Gartan (little field); Gordon, a parish in Berwickshire, corrupt. from Goirtean (little farm); Gartbane and Gortban (fair field); Gartfarran (the farm at the fountain, fuaran); Gartbreck (spotted field); Gortnagclock (the field of the stones); Gortreagh (gray field); Gortenure (the field of the yew-tree); Oulart, in Ireland, corrupt. from Abhalghort (apple-field or orchard); Bugard (an enclosure for cattle), in Shetland; Olligard (the farm or dwelling of Olaf), in Shetland; Girthon, corrupt. from Girthavon (the enclosure on the river), in Kirkcudbright). On the other hand, Garda or Warda in French names signified originally a fortified or protected place, from an old Teutonic word warta; hence Gardere, Gardière, La Garderie, La Garde, La Warde, etc.

GAT (Scand.),
GAEAT (A.S.),
GHAT (Sansc.),

an opening or passage; e.g. the Cattegat (the cat’s throat or passage); Margate (the sea-gate or passage), anc. Meregate, there having been formerly a mere or lake here which had its influx into the sea; Ramsgate (the passage of Ruim, the ancient name of Thanet); Reigate, contraction from Ridgegate (the passage through the ridge); Yetholm (the valley at the passage or border between England and Scotland, yet, Scot. a gate); Harrowgate, probably the passage of the army, A.S. here, as it is situated near one of the great Roman roads; Crossgates, a village in Fife (at the road crossings); Ludgate did not derive its name from a certain King Lud, according to popular tradition, but is an instance of tautology, there having been an ancient A.S. word hlid (a door), hence Geathlid (a postern gate)—v. BOSWORTH. In India the word ghat is applied to a pass between hills or mountains, as in the Ghauts (the two converging mountain ranges); Sheergotta (the lion’s pass), between Calcutta and Benares; and Geragaut (the horse’s pass), or to a passage across a river, as well as to the flights of steps leading from a river to the buildings on its banks. Thus Calcutta is Kalikuti (the ghauts or passes leading to the temple of the goddess Kali), on the R. Hoogly; also Calicut, on the Malabar coast.

GAU, GOVIA (Ger.),

a district; e.g. Sundgau, Westgau, Nordgau (south, west, and north district); Aargau, Rheingau, Thurgau (the districts watered by the Rivers Aar, Rhine, and Thur); Schöengau (beautiful district); Wonnegau (the district of delight); Hainault, Ger. Hennegau (the district of the R. Haine, and ault, the stream); Pinzgau (the district of rushes, binse), in Tyrol; Oehringen or Oringowe (the district of the R. Ohr).

GEBEL, or DJEBEL (Ar.),

a mountain; e.g. Gebel-Kattarin, in Sinai (St. Catharine’s mountain), where, according to tradition, the body of St. Catharine was transported from Alexandria; Djebel-Mousa (the mountain of Moses), in Horeb; Djebel-Nimrod (of Nimrod), in Armenia; Jebel-Khal (black mount), in Africa; Gibraltar, Ar. Gebel-al-Tarik (the mountain of Tarik, a Moor, who erected a fort on the rock of Calpe, A.D. 711); Jebel-Libnan or Lebanon (the white mountain), supposed to be so called because covered with snow during a great part of the year; Gebel-Oomar (the mountain of Omar); Gibel-el-Faro (the mountain with the lighthouse), near Malaga; Djebel-es-Sheikh (the mount of the sheik or shah, i.e. of the king), the Arabian name for Mount Hermon—v. INDEX.

GEESTE (Ger.),

barren land; e.g. Gaste, Geist, Geeste (the barren land); Geestefeld (barren field); Holzengeist (the barren land in the wood); Nordergast, Middelgast (the northern and middle barren land).

GEISE (Ger.),

a goat; e.g. Geisa and Geisbach (the goat’s stream); Geismar (rich in goats); Geiselhoring, Geisenhausen, Geisenheim (the goat’s dwelling); Geisberg (goat’s hill).

GEMENDE (Ger.),

a common; e.g. Gmeind (the common); Petersgemeinde (Peter’s common); Gemeindmühle (the mill on the common).

GEMUND (Ger.),

a river-mouth or a confluence; e.g. Neckargemund (at the mouth of the R. Neckar); Saaregemund (at the conf. of the R. Saare and the Belise); Gmünd, in Wurtemberg (at the conf. of the two streams); Gemund and Gemunden, in various parts of Germany. In Holland this word takes the form of monde, as in Roermonde and Dendermonde (at the mouths of the Roer and Dender); Emden, in Hanover, is a corrupt. of Emsmünder (at the conf. of the Ems and a small stream).

GEN,

an abbreviated form of magen or megen, the Teutonic form for the Cel. magh (a field)—qu. v.; e.g. Remagen or Rhemmaghen (the field on the Rhine); Nimeguen, for Novio-magus (the new field); Schleusingen (the field or plain of the R. Schleuse); Munchingen (the field of the monks); Beverungen, on the R. Bever; Meiningen (the great field or plain), in the valley of the R. Wara.

GEN, GENAU (Cel.),

a mouth or opening; e.g. Llanfihangel-genaur’-glyn (the church of the angel at the mouth of the glen), in Wales; Genappe and Gennep (the mouth of the water, abh); Geneva (either the opening or mouth of the water, or the head, ceann, of the water, where the Rhone proceeds from the lake); Genoa, probably with the same meaning; Ghent or Gend, at the conf. of the Scheldt and Lys, may also mean at the mouth of the rivers, although, according to tradition, it acquired its name from a tribe of Vandals, the Gandani, and was called in the ninth century Gandavum-vicum, from the name of its inhabitants.

GENT,

in French topography, beautiful; e.g. Gentilly, anc. Gentiliacum (the place of beautiful waters), on the Bièvre—v. OEUIL; Nogent (beautiful meadow).

GERICHT (Ger.),

a court of justice; e.g. Gerichtsbergen (the hill of the court of justice); Gerichtstetten (the station of the court of justice).

GHAR (Ar.),

a cave; e.g. Garbo (the cave), in Malta; Trafalgar, i.e. Taraf-al-gar (the promontory of the cave).

GHAR, GHUR, or GORE (Sansc.),
NAGAR, a city,

a fort; e.g. Ahmednaghar (the fort of Ahmed); Ramghur (of Ram); Kishenagur (of Krishna); Furracknagur (of Furrack); Moradnagur (of Morad); Jehanagur (of Jehan); Allighur (of Allah or of God); Bisnaghur (triumphant fort); Futtegur (fort of victory); Deoghur (God’s fort); Neelgur (blue fort); Seringagur (the fort of abundance); Chandernagore (the fort of the moon); Haidernagur (of Hyder Ali); Bissengur (the fort of Vishnu); Chunarghur (the fort of the district of Chunar).

GHARI, or GHERRY (Sansc.),

a mountain; e.g. Ghaur, a mountainous district in Affghanistan; Boughir (the woody mountain); Kistnagherry (Krishna’s mountain); Rutnagiri (the mountain of rubies); Chandgherry (of the moon); Shevagherry (of Siva); Neilgherries (the blue mountains); Dhawalageri (the white mountain), being the highest peak of the Himalayas.

GILL, GJA (Scand.),

a ravine; e.g. Buttergill, Horisgill, Ormsgill, Thorsgill, etc. (ravines in the Lake District named after Norse leaders); Hrafngia (the ravens’ ravine, or of Hrafan, a Norse leader); Almanna-gja (Allman’s ravine), in Iceland. The Hebrew gäe (a ravine) answers in meaning to this word, as in Ge-Hinnom (the ravine of the children of Hinnom), corrupt. to Gehenna. This word, in the form of goe, is applied to a small bay, i.e. a ravine which admits the sea, as in Redgoe, Ravengoe, in the north of Scotland.

GLAISE (Gadhelic),

a small stream; e.g. Glasaboy (the yellow stream); Tullyglush (hill stream); Glasheena (abounding in small streams); Douglas, i.e. Dubhglaise (the black stream), frequent in Ireland and Scotland; Douglas, in the Isle of Man, is on the R. Douglas; also the name of a parish and village in Lanarkshire, from which the Douglas family derive their name. Glasheenaulin (the beautiful little stream), in Co. Cork; Ardglashin (the height of the rivulet), in Cavan.

GLAN (Cym.-Cel.),

a shore, a brink, a side; e.g. Glan-yr-afon, Welsh (the river side).

GLAS (Cel.),

gray, blue, or green; e.g. Glasalt (gray stream); Glascloon (green meadow); Glasdrummond (green ridge); Glaslough (green lake); Glasmullagh (green summit), in Ireland; Glass, a parish in Scotland. In Wales: Glascoed (greenwood); Glascombe (green hollow). Glasgow is said by James, the author of Welsh Names of Places, to be a corrupt. of Glas-coed.

GLEANN (Gadhelic),
GLYN and GLANN (Cym.-Cel.),
GLEN (A.S.),

a small valley, often named from the river which flows through it; e.g. Glen-fender, Glen-finnan, Glen-tilt, Glen-shee, Glen-esk, Glen-bervie, Glen-bucket, Glen-livet, Glen-lyon, Glen-almond, Glen-dochart, Glen-luce, Glen-isla, Glen-ary, Glen-coe, Glen-devon (valleys in Scotland watered by the Rivers Fender, Finnan, Tilt, Shee, Esk, Bervie, Bucket, Livet, Lyon, Almond, Dochart, Luce, Isla, Aray, Cona, Devon). In Ireland: Glennagross (the valley of the crosses); Glenmullion (of the mill); Glendine and Glandine and Glendowan, Irish Gleann-doimhin (the deep valley)—sometimes it takes the form of glan or glyn, as in Glin on the Shannon, and Glynn in Antrim; Glennan, Glenann, Glentane, Glenlaun, etc. (little valley). When this word occurs at the end of names in Ireland the g is sometimes suppressed; e.g. Leiglin, in Carlow, anc. Leith-ghlionn (half glen); Crumlin, Cromlin, and Crimlin (the winding glen); Glencross or Glencorse, in the Pentlands, named from a remarkable cross which once stood there; Glenelg (the valley of hunting or of the roe); Glengarnock (of the rough hillock); Glencroe (of the sheepfold); Glenmore or Glenmore-nan-Albin (the great glen of Scotland which divides the Highlands into two nearly equal parts); Glenmoreston (the valley of the great cascade, i.e. of Foyers); Glenbeg (little valley); Glenburnie (of the little stream); Glenmuick (the boars’ valley); Glenure (of the yew); Glenfinlas (of the clear stream); Glengariff (rough glen); Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, is in Irish Gleann-da-locha (the glen of the two lakes); Glennamaddy (of the dogs, madadh); Glinties (the glens), Co. Donegal; Forglen, a parish in Banffshire (the cold or the grassy glen). In Wales, Glyn-Nedd (of the R. Nedd.)

GLEIZ (Old Ger.),

shining; e.g. Glisbach (shining brook); Gleisberg (shining hill); Gleesdorf, Gleesweiler (shining dwelling).

GLINA (Sclav.),

clay; e.g. Glinzig, Glindow, Glintock, Glianicke, Glinow (names of places near clay pits); Glina (the clayey stream).

GLOG (Sclav.),

the white thorn; e.g. Glogau, Gross, and Upper Glogau, in Silesia (places abounding in white thorn); Glognitz, with the same meaning.

GNADE (Ger.),

grace; e.g. Gnadenhütten (the tabernacles of grace), a Moravian settlement on the Ohio; Gnadenthal (the valley of grace), in Africa; Gnadenburg and Gnadenfeld (the city and field of grace).

GOBHA (Gadhelic),

a blacksmith—in topography Gow or Gowan; e.g. Ardgowan (the blacksmith’s height); Balgowan, Balnagowan, Balgownie, Balgonie, in Scotland, and Ballygow, Ballygowan, Ballingown, Ballynagown, in Ireland (the dwelling of the blacksmith); Athgoe (the blacksmith’s ford). In early times the blacksmith was regarded as an important personage, being the manufacturer of weapons of war, and the ancient Irish, like other nations, had their smith god, Goban, hence the frequent use of the word in their topography.

GOLA, or GALA (Sclav.),

a wood; e.g. Golschow, Goltzen, Golkojye or Kolkwitz, and Gahlen (the woody place); Galinchen (the little Gahlen, i.e. a colony from that town); Kallinichen, i.e. the colony from Gallun (the woody place); Gollnow, in Pomerania, from this root; but Gollnitz, near Finsterwalde, is corrupt. from Jelenze (stag town), from jelen.

GOLB, GULB (Sclav.),

the dove; e.g. Gulbin, Golbitten, Golembin, Golembecks, Golembki (dove town); Gollombken, in Prussia, Ger. Taubendorf (dove town).

GORA (Sclav.),
Ὁρος (Grk.),

a mountain or hill; e.g. Goritz, Ger. Goïs (the town on the hill), in Hungary, in a province of the same name; Gorlitz (behind the hill), called also Sgoretz; Gorigk, Ger. Bergheide (hilly heath); Gorgast (hill inn), gosta corrupt. into gast; Podgorze, Podgorach, Podgoriza, Poschgorize (near the hill). This word sometimes takes the form of hora, as in Zahora, in Turkey (behind the hill); Czernahora (the black hill).

GORT (Gadhelic),

a field, cognate with the Lat. hortus and Span. huerta, and the Teut. garth—v. p. 87; e.g. Huerta-del-rey (the king’s orchard), in Spain.

GRAB (Sclav.),

the red beech; e.g. Grabkow, Grabitz, Grabig, Grabow (the place of red beeches); Grabin, Ger. Finsterwalde (the place of red beeches or the dark wood).

GRABEN (Ger.),
GRAB, GRAEF (A.S.),

a grave or trench, from graben, grafan (to dig); e.g. Mühlgraben (the mill trench or dam); Vloedgraben (the trench for the flood); Schutzgraben (the moat of the defence); Grafton and Graffham (the moated town); Gravesend (the town at the end of the moat); Bischofsgraef (the bishop’s trench). In Ireland the prefix graf is applied to lands that have been grubbed up with a kind of axe called a grafan—hence such names as Graffan, Graffin, Graffee, Graffy.

GRAF, GRAAF (Teut. and Scand.),

a count or earl; e.g. Graffenau, Graffenberg, Grafenschlag, Grafenstein (the meadow, hill, wood-clearing, and rock of the count); Grafenworth and Grafenhain (the count’s enclosure or farm); Grafenthal (the count’s valley); Grafenbrück (the count’s bridge); Grafenmühle (the count’s mill); Gravelines, in Flanders, anc. Graveninghem (the count’s domain). In Sclavonic names, Grabik, Grabink, Grobitz, Hrabowa, Hrabaschin (the count’s town); Grobinow (count’s town), Germanised into Kroppstadt.

GRANGE (Fr. and Scot.),

a farm or storehouse for grain, from the Lat. granaria, cognate with the Gadhelic grainnseach, Low Lat. grangia; e.g. Grange, a parish and village in Banffshire; Les Granges (the granaries); La Neuve Grange (the new farm), in France; La Granja, in Spain; Grangegeeth (the windy farm), in Ireland. From the same root such names in Ireland as Granagh, Granaghan (places producing grain).

GRENZE (Ger.),
GRAN (Sclav.),

the boundary or corner; e.g. Grenzhausen (the dwellings on the boundary); Banai-Militar Granze (the border territory under the government of a military officer called The Ban); Gransee (the corner lake); Graniz, Granowo (boundary towns), in Hungary; Gran, a town in Hungary, in a province of the same name through which the R. Gran flows.

GRIAN (Gadhelic),

the sun; e.g. Greenock, either from grianach (sunny) or the knoll, cnoc (of the sun); Greenan, Greenane, Greenawn, and Grennan (literally, a sunny spot), translated by the Irish Latin-writers solarium; but as it occurs in topographical names in Ireland, it is used as another name for a royal palace; Grenanstown, in Co. Tipperary, is a sort of translation of its ancient name Baile-an-ghrianain (the town of the palace); Greenan-Ely (the palace of the circular stone fortress, aileach); Tullagreen (the hill of the sun); Monagreany (sunny bog).

GRIES (Ger.),

sand or gravel; e.g. Griesbach (sandy brook); Griesau, Griesthal (sandy valley); Grieshaim (sandy dwelling); Grieswang (sandy field); Griesberg (sand hill); Grieskirchen (the church on the sandy land). Gressius and Gresum in bas Lat. have the same meaning, and have given names to such places in France as Les Grès, Grèses, Les Gresillons, La Gressée, La Grezille, etc.

GROD, GOROD, GRAD (Sclav.),
HRAD (Turc.),

a fortified town; e.g. Belgrade and Belgorod (white fortress); Ekateringrad and Elizabethgrad (the fortified town of the Empress Catharine and Elizabeth); Zaregorod (the fortress of the Czar or Emperor); Novgorod (new fortress); Paulograd and Ivanograd (the fortress of Paul or Ivan, i.e. John); Gratz, Gradiska, Gradizsk, Gradentz, Grodek, Grodno, Grodzizk (the fortified towns), in Poland and Russia; Hradeck and Hradisch, with the same meaning, in Bohemia.

GRODEN (Frisian),

land reclaimed from the sea; e.g. Moorgroden, Ostergroden, Salzgroden, places in Holland.

GRÖN, GROEN, GRUN (Teut. and Scand.),

green; e.g. Groenloo, Gronau (the green meadow); Grunavoe (green bay); Grunataing (green promontory); Grunaster (green dwelling), in Shetland; Greenland, translated from Terra-verde, the name given to the country by Cortoreal in 1500, but it had been discovered by an Icelander (Lief, son of Eric the red), in the ninth century, and named by him Hvitsaerk (white shirt), probably because covered with snow; Greenwich, A.S. Grenavie, Lat. viridus-vicus (green town).

GRUND (Ger.),

a valley; e.g. Amsel-grund, Itygrund (the valleys of the Rivers Amsel and Ity); Riesengrund (the giant’s valley); Laucha-grund (the valley of the R. Laucha), in Thuringia.

GUADA,

the name given to the rivers in Spain by the Moors, from the Arabic wädy (the dried-up bed of a river); e.g. Guadalaviar, i.e. Ar. Wadi-l-abyadh (the white river); Guadalete (the small river); Guadalimar (red river); Guadarama (sandy river); Guadalertin (the muddy river); Guadaloupe (the river of the bay, upl); Guadiana (the river of joy), called by the Greeks Chrysus (the golden); Guadalquivir, i.e. Wad-al-kebir (the great river); Guaalcazar (of the palace); Guadalhorra (of the cave, ghar); Guadalbanar (of the battlefield); Guadaira (of the mills).

GUÉ (Fr.),

a ford, perhaps from the Celtic gwy, water; e.g. Gué-du-Loire (the ford of the Loire); Gué-de-l’Isle (of the island); Le Gué-aux-biches (of the hinds); Boné, formerly Bonum-vadum, Lat. (the good ford), in France; Bungay, in Suffolk, on the R. Waveney, corrupt. from Bon-gué (good ford).

GUISA (Old Ger.),

to gush, found in river names; e.g. Buachgieso (the bending stream); Goldgieso (golden stream); Wisgoz (the white stream).

GUNGE (Sansc.),

a market-town; e.g. Saibgunge (the market-town of the Englishmen); Futtegunge (the town of victory); Sultangunge (of the Sultan); Shevagunge (of Siva); Jaffiergunge (of Jaffier).

GUT, GOED (Ger.),

a property; e.g. Schlossgut (the property of the castle); Wüstegut (the property in the waste land); but this word, used as a prefix, denotes good, as in Guttenberg, Guttenbrun, Guttenstein (the good hill, well, and fortress).

GWEN (Cym.-Cel.),

fair, white, cognate with the Gadhelic fionn; e.g. Gwenap (the fair slope); Gwendur and Derwent (the fair water); Berwyn (the fair boundary); Corwen (the fair choir); Ventnor (the fair shore); Guinty or Guindy (the fair or white dwelling), common in Wales. Gwent, Latinised Venta, meant a fair open plain, and was applied to the counties of Monmouth, Gloucester, and Hereford, and Hampshire, as well as to the coast of Brittany: thus Winchester was formerly Caer-gwent (the fortress of the fair plain), Latinised Venta-Belgorum (the plain of the Belgians). There was a gwent also in Norfolk, Latinised Venta-Icenorum (the plain of the Iceni). This root-word may be the derivation of Vannes and La Vendée, in Normandy, if not from the Veneti—v. FEN.

GWENT (Welsh),

a fair or open region, a campaign. It is a name now confined to nearly all Monmouthshire, but which anciently comprehended also parts of the counties of Gloucester and Hereford, being a district where Caer-went or the Venta-Silurum of the Romans was the capital; Corwen (the blessed choir or church); Yr Eglwys-Wen (the blessed choir or church); Wenvoe, in Glamorgan, corrupt. from Gwenvai (the happy land).

GWERN (Cym.-Cel.),

the alder-tree, also a swamp; e.g. Coed-gwern (alder-tree wood).

GWY, or WY (Cym.-Cel.),

water; e.g. the Rivers Wye, the Elwy (gliding water); Llugwy (clear water); Mynewy (small water); Leveny (smooth water); Garway (rough water); Conway (the chief or head water, cyn); Gwydir, i.e. Gwy-tir (water land), the ancient name of Glastonbury; Gwynedd (water glen), an ancient region in North Wales.

GWYRDD (Welsh),

green, verdant; e.g. Gwyrdd-y-coed (the winter green).