W
WAD, WATH (A.S.),
VAD (Scand.),
a ford, cognate with the Lat. vadum and the Gadhelic ath; e.g. Wadebridge (the bridge at the ford), in Cornwall; Wath-upon-Dearne (the ford of the R. Dearne), in Yorkshire; Carnwath (the ford at the cairn), in Lanarkshire; Lasswade (the ford on the pasture-land, laes), in Mid Lothian; Wath (the ford), on the Yorkshire Ouse; Langwaden (long ford), in Germany; Wageningen, Lat. Vadu (on the ford), in Holland, on the R. Leck.
WÂDI, or WADY (Ar.),
a river-course or ravine; e.g. Wâdi-el-Ain (the ravine of the fountain); Wâdi-Sasafeh (of the pigeons); Wâdi-Sidri (of the thorn); Wady-Solab (of the cross); Wâdy-Shellal (of the cataract); Wâdy-Magherah (of the caves); Wady-Sagal (of the acacia); Wady-Mousa (of Moses); Wâdy-Abou-hamad (of the father fig-tree, named from a very old tree); Wady-Mokatteb (of the writing, from the number of inscriptions made by pilgrims); Wady-hamman (of the wild pigeons).
WALD (Ger.),
WEALD, WOLD (A.S.),
a wood or waste land; e.g. Walden-Saffron, in Essex (the waste land on which saffron was afterwards cultivated); the Weald, Wold, and Wealdon (the waste lands), in Essex, Kent, Lincoln, and Yorkshire; Waltham and Walthamstow (the dwelling-place near the wood); Waldstadt, Waldheim, Walddorf (dwellings near the wood), in Germany; Waldeck (woody corner, or corner of the wood); Waldshut (the forest hut), in Switzerland; Boëmerwald (the Bohemian forest); Waldau (woody meadow); Waldsassen (the settlement in the wood); Unterwalden (under or below the wood); Zinnwald-Sachsisch (the wood near the Saxon’s tin mine); Finsterwalde (the dark wood); Greifswald (the griffin’s wood); Habechtswald (hawk’s wood); Lichtenwald (the cleared wood); Rugenwalde (the wood of the Rugii, a tribe), in Pomerania; Regenwalde and Saalwalde (the woody districts of the rivers Rega and Saale); Methwald (in the midst of woods), in Norfolk; Leswalt (the pasture, laes, in the wood), in Wigtonshire; Mouswald (the wood near Lochar Moss), in Dumfriesshire; Wooton-Basset, in Wilts (the woody town of the Basset family, so called from the quantity of wood in the neighbourhood).
WALL (Old Ger.),
WEALL (A.S.),
an embankment, a rampart, a wall, cognate with the Lat. vallum, the Gadhelic balla, and the Welsh gwal; e.g. Walton, on the Naze, where there was a walled enclosure to defend the northern intruders from the assaults of their hostile Saxon neighbours; Walton, also, in the east corner of Suffolk (the town near the wall); also Walton, on the Thames; Walton-le-dale and Walton (on the hill), in Lancashire; Wallsend (at the end of the wall), in Northumberland; Walford, in Hereford (the ford near a Roman fortification); Wallsoken (the place near the wall, where the judicial courts were held)—v. SOC; Walmer (the sea-wall), in Kent; Wallburg, Walldorf (walled towns), in Germany; Wallingford, in Berks, anc. Gallena, Welsh Gwal-hen (the old wall or fortification), A.S. Wealingaford; Wallmill, Wallshiels, Wallfoot, Wallhead, places in Northumberland near the wall of Adrian; Walpole (the dwelling, bol, near the wall), in Norfolk, a sea-bank raised by the Romans as a defence from the sea; but Walsham and Walsingham, in Norfolk, take their name from the Waelsings, a tribe. This place was called by Erasmus Parathalasia, Grk. (by the sea-beach).
WALSCH (Ger.),
WEALH (A.S.),
VLACH (Sclav.),
foreign. These words were applied by the Teutonic and Sclavonic nations to all foreigners, and to the countries inhabited or colonised by those who did not come from a Teutonic stock or speak their language. In the charters of the Scoto-Saxon kings the Celtic Picts of Cambria and Strathclyde were called Wallenses; e.g. Wales, Gwalia—root gwal or gall, foreign. The Welsh call their own country Cymru (the abode of the Kymry or aborigines)—(the home of the Cymric Celts), so named by the Saxons; Wallachia (the strangers’ land, vlach), so called by the Germans and Sclaves because colonised by the Romans; Walcherin, anc. Walacria or Gualacra (the island of the strangers or Celts); Cornwall (the horn or promontory of the Celts); also Cornuailles (a district in Brittany peopled by British emigrants from Wales); Wallendorf (the town of the strangers), the German name for Olaszi or Olak, in Hungary, peopled by Wallachians; Wallenstadt and Wallensee (the town and lake on the borders of the Romansch district of the Grisons, conquered by the Romans under Constantius); Wâlschland, the German name for Italy. The Celts of Flanders were also called Walloons by their German neighbours; and Wlachowitz, in Moravia, means the town of the Wallachs or strangers. The Gadhelic gall (foreign), although used with the same meaning as wealh, is not connected with it. It is a word that has been applied to strangers by the Irish from the remotest antiquity; and as it was applied by them to the natives of Gaul (Galli), gall, in the first instance, might mean simply a native of Gaul. It was afterwards used in reference to the Norwegians, Fionn-ghaill (the fair-haired strangers); and to the Danes, Dubh-ghaill (the dark-haired strangers); and in connection with them and with the English the word enters largely into Irish topography; e.g. Donegal, i.e. Dun-nau-Gall (the fortress of the foreigners or Danes); Clonegall and Clongall (the meadow of the strangers); Ballynagall and Ballnagall (the town of the strangers, or English). For the further elucidation of these words v. Irish Names of Places, by Dr. Joyce, and Words and Places, by the Rev. Isaac Taylor. The words Gaill and Gallda are applied by the Highlanders of Scotland to their countrymen in the Lowlands, but they have no connection with the name which they apply to themselves—The Gaidheil, derived from an ancestor Gaodal.
WANG (Ger. and A.S.),
a field or strip of land, allied to the Scottish whang, a slice; e.g. Feuchtwang (moist field); Duirwangen (barren field); Ellwangen, anc. Ellhenwang (the field of the temple, eleh or alhs); Affolterwangen (apple-tree field); Wangford (the ford of the wang).
WARA (Sansc.),
a dwelling; e.g. Kattiwar (the dwelling of the Katties, a tribe); Judwar (of the Juts or Jats); Kishtewar (the dwelling in the wood). In Anglo-Saxon wara means inhabitants—thus Lindiswaras (the inhabitants of Lincoln; Cantwara, of Kent).
WARD, WART, WARTH (Teut.),
a watch-tower or beacon, or a place guarded, A.S. waerdian, Ger. warten, to guard—waering, a fortification; e.g. Hohenwarth, Lat. Altaspecula (the high watch-tower); Warburg (the town of the watch-tower), in Westphalia. In England: Warden, Wardle, Wardley (guarded places, or places where the warden of the district resided); Wardlaw (the beacon hill); Wardoe (beacon island), in Norway; Warwick, i.e. Waering-vic (the fortified dwelling, or the fort of the Waerings); Wöerden or Warden (the fortified place), in Holland; Vordhill, in Shetland, and Varberg, in Sweden (the hill of the beacon); Warthill, or beacon hill, in Westmoreland; Warburton, found as Wardeburgh (the town near the watch-fort)—here Athelfreda, Oueen of Mercia, built a citadel; Warrington (the town with the fortress, waering); Gross-wardein, the German rendering of Nagy varad, Sclav. (great fortress). From guardar, Span. (to defend), we have Guardamar (the sea guard, with a hill-fort at the mouth of the R. Segura); La Guardia (built as a defence against the incursions of the Moors); Guardia-regia (royal fortress); Leeuwarden, anc. Lienwarden (the guarded place near lime-trees), in the Netherlands.
WARID, WERID (Old Ger.),
WERDER (Mod. Ger.),
a river island, or sometimes a plot of ground insulated by marshes and secured by dykes. It often takes the forms of werth or wirth, cognate with the A.S. worth or worthing, qu. v.; e.g. Bischopswerder (the bishop’s island); Elsterwerder, Saarwerder (the islands in the Rivers Elster and Saar); Donauworth (the island in the R. Danube); Kirchwerder (church island); Marienwerder (the island or enclosure dedicated to the Virgin Mary); Falconswaart (the falcon’s enclosure), in Holland; Poppenwarth (the priest’s enclosure); Werden, Werder, Wertheim (dwellings near river islands); Worth (the enclosed place), in Bavaria; Worth-sur-Sauer (the enclosure on the R. Sauer); Nonnenwerth (the nun’s enclosure); Furstenwerder (the prince’s island); Verden (near a large island formed by the R. Aller), in Hanover; Verderbruch (the island bridge); Bolswaard (Bolswine’s river island), in Holland; Wertingen (a town on an island in the R. Schmutter); Schönwerder (beautiful island on the R. Unstruth); Werth-sur-Sauer, in Alsace (on an island formed by the Rivers Sauer and Soultzbach); Borumeler-Waard (an island near the town of Berumel), in Holland, formed by the junction of the Rivers Waal and Maas; but Hoyerswerda, in Silesia, is a corruption of the Wendish name Worejze (the town on the ploughed land).
WARK, VIRKI (Scand.),
a fortress; e.g. Wark, in Dumfriesshire, Warke Castle, on the Scottish border; Warkthwaite (the enclosure belonging to the fortress), in Cumberland; Aldwark (old fortress); Newark, in Nottingham and in Selkirk (the new fortress); Southwark (the south fortress); Warksburn, Warkton, Warkworth (places named from their vicinity to Warke Castle), in Northumberland.
WASSER, WAZAR (Teut.),
WODA (Sclav.),
water; e.g. Rothwasser (a town on the red river); Schwartzwasser (black water); Whiteadder (white water), river names; Ullswater (named from Ulla or Ulf, a Norse chief); Wasserburg, in Bavaria, on the R. Inn, and Wasserburg on Lake Constance (the town on the water); Waterloo (the watery marsh); Wasserbillig (the plain by the river); Zwishenwassern (between the waters, at the confluence of two streams), in Illyria; Altwasser, Sclav. Starawoda (the old stream), in Moravia. The ancient name of the R. Odra was Wodra (water).
WEG (Ger.),
WAAG (Dutch),
WAEG (A.S.),
a way, a road, cognate with the Lat. via; e.g. Wegefurt and Wayford (the way to the ford); Bradenwaag, (broad way); Lichtenweg (the cleared road); Wegmühle (mill road); Wainfleet (the way by the harbour); Wakefield (the field by the wayside); Norway, A.S. Norwaegas (the northern districts or paths); Courbevoie, Lat. Curba-via (the curbed way), in France.
WEIDE (Ger.),
WEOD (A.S.),
pasture; e.g. Langenweid (the long pasture); Rathsweide (the councillor’s pasture); Neuweid (new pasture); Mittweyda (the middle pasture).
WEILER (Ger.),
a hamlet, Old Ger. wila; e.g. Kleinweil (the little hamlet); Kurzweil (short hamlet); Langweil (long hamlet), Pfaffwyl (the priest’s hamlet); Weiller, in Alsace, Echzell, in Hesse-Darmstadt, corrupt. from Achizwila (the hamlet on the water); Eschweiler (the hamlet near ash-trees); Dettweiler (the hamlet of the diet, or people’s meeting); Rappersweil (the hamlet of Rappert, a personal name); Rothwell, in Baden, anc. Rotwili (red hamlet). In England this word takes the form of well or will, as in Kittlewell and Bradwell. In Normandy, Hardvilliers, Rohrwiller, Neuviller, etc.
WEIR (A.S.),
a dam, that which wards off the water, wearan, A.S., to guard; e.g. Ware, in Co. Hertford, named from a dam on the R. Lea, made by the Danes; Wareham (the town on the Weir), in Dorsetshire; Warminster (the monastery near the weir.)
WEISS (Ger.),
HWIT (A.S.),
HVID (Scand.),
white; e.g. Weisshorn (white cape); Weissmaes (white field); Weissenberg and Weissenfels (white rock); Weissenburg and Weissenstadt (white town); Weissenthurm (white tower). Sometimes the word takes the form of witten, as in Wittenberg and Wittenburg (white fortress), although this prefix is frequently derived from vitu, wood; Whitacre (white field); Whitburne, Whitbourne, Whitbeck (white stream); Witley (white meadow); Whiston, in Worcester, so named because it was originally a convent of white nuns.
WEND, WIND,
words applied in German topography to mark the settlements of the Wends or Sclavonians, from the verb wandeln, to wander. The Sclavonians call themselves Slowjane, which means intelligible men, or Srb, which means kinsmen; while, by all the Sclavonic tribes, the Germans are called niemiec, the dumb men, because their language is unintelligible to their Sclavonic neighbours. The Wends in the sixth century occupied the north-eastern parts of Germany, but are now chiefly confined to Lusatia; e.g. Wendischbach (the Wends’ brook); Wendischhausen and Windsheim (the dwellings of the Wends); Wendischgratz (the Wends’ fortress); Wendischkappel (the Wends’ chapel or church); Windecken and Wendischhayn (the Wends’ corner and enclosure).
WERBA (Sclav.),
pasture; e.g. Werben, on the Elbe.
WERCH (Sclav.),
a summit; e.g. Werchau (the town on the height), in Prussia; Werch-see (the lake on the height); Werchne-Udinsk (the height on the R. Uda); Verkne-Dnieprevosk (the high town on the R. Dnieper); Werchne-Uralish, on the R. Ural; Verkne-Kolynski, on the R. Kolyma; Verkne-Sousensk, on the R. Sosna; Werchblatt (high marsh).
WERF, WARF (Teut.),
a dam or wharf; literally, what is thrown up—werfen; e.g. Werfen (the town on the embankment), in Upper Austria; Antwerp, anc. Andoverpum (at the wharf); Hohenwerpum (high wharf); Neuwarp (new wharf).
WERK, WEORC (Teut.),
a work, applied in topography to places where manufactures are carried on; e.g. Bergwerk (a hill work or mine); Konigswerk (the king’s manufactory); Hofwerk and Werkhausen (places connected with mines); Hüttenwerk (the huts of the workmen in the Hartz Mountains); Seifenwerk (the place for washing the metals at the mines); Frederickswerk (a cannon foundry in Denmark established by King Frederick); Wirksworth, in Derbyshire (the enclosure near the mines).
WESTEN (Ger.),
the west. This word Buttman traces to an old Ger. root wesen, Goth. visan (rest), i.e. the quarter of the heavens where the sun sinks to rest; e.g. Westphalia (the western plain); Westerwald (west wood); Westerufer (the western shore, i.e. of the R. Inn); Westhausen and Westhoffen (the west dwellings and court), in Alsace; Wesen, on the west shore of Lake Wallensee; Westeraas, in Sweden, anc. Vestra-aros (western dwelling), so called to distinguish it from Ostra-aros (the eastern dwelling); Westman’s Isles, Scand. Vestmanna-eyar, on the coast of Iceland, so called because peopled by men from the west—Irish pirates; Westbury, Westbourn, Weston, Westbrook, from the same root.
WICH, WIC, WYK (Teut.),
WICK, VIG (Scand.),
WAS, WIES (Sclav.),
a dwelling, a village, a town—a word in general use in the topography of Great Britain, as well as on the continent, but with various meanings. According to Leo, the Teut. wich or vichs arose from the root waes, A.S., and wiese, Ger. (a moist meadow) and hence was applied to places situated on low lands, often on the bank of a stream; e.g. Meeswyk (the town on the Maas); Beverwyk, on the Bever. The primary meaning seems to have been a station—with the Anglo-Saxons a station or abode on the land, with the Norsemen a station for ships. The root of the word runs through all the Aryan languages—Sansc. veça, Grk. oikos, Pol. wies, Ir. fieh, Cym.-Cel. qwic, all meaning an abode; e.g. Alnwick (the town on the R. Alne); Ipswich, anc. Gippenswich, on the Gipping; York, A.S. Eorvic, Lat. Eboracum, Welsh Caer-Ebreuc (the town on the water, or R. Eure); Hawick (the town on the haugh or low meadow); Noordwyk (north town); Nederwyk (lower town); Zuidwyk and Zuick (south town), in Holland and Belgium; Harwich (army town), so called from having been a Saxon station or military depot; Keswick (the town of Cissa); Wickware, in Gloucestershire (the town of the family of De la Ware). On the other hand, the Scandinavian wich or vig signifies a bay, or a place situated on the coast, or at the mouth of a river—thus Schleswick (on a bay formed by the R. Schlie), in Prussia; Wick (the town on the bay), in Caithness; Sandwich (the town on the sandy bay); Lerwick (on the muddy bay); Greenwich, Scand. Granvigen (the town on the pine bay); Reikjavik, in Iceland (the reeky or smoky bay); Vigo in Spain, and Vaage in Norway (on spacious bays); Swanage, in Dorset, anc. Swanwick (Sweyen’s bay town); Brodick, in Arran (the broad bay town); Wicklow, in Ireland, probably Danish Vigloe (bay shelter), used by the Danes as a ship station; Smerwick (butter bay); Berwick, contracted from Aberwick (at the mouth of the R. Tweed)—v. ABER. Wiche also denotes a place where there are salt mines or springs, and in this sense is probably connected with the Scand. vig, as salt was often obtained by the evaporation of sea-water in shallow bays; thus Nantwich—v. NANT; Middlewich (the middle salt works); Droitwich, Lat. Salinæ (the salt springs, where the droit or tax was paid). In some cases wich or wick is derived from the Lat. vicus, cognate with the Grk. oikos and Sansc. veça (a dwelling)—thus Katwyk-sur-mer and Katwyk-sur-Rhin are supposed to occupy the site of the Roman Vicus-Cattorum (the dwelling-place of the Chatti); Vick or Vique, in Spain, from Vicus-Ausoniensis (the dwelling of the Ausones); Vidauban, in France, from Vicus-Albanus (the dwelling of Albanus); Longwy, from Longus-vicus (long town); Limoges, anc. Lemovicum (the town of the Lemovici); also in France: Vic-desprès (the town on the meadows); Vic-sur-Losse and Vic-sur-Aisne, the towns on these rivers. The Sclav. wice is found in Jazlowice (the town on the marsh); and Malschwice (Matthew’s town), etc.
WIDR, or VITU (Teut. and Scand.),
wood; e.g. Norwood (north wood); Selwood, Lat. Sylva-magna (great wood), Celtic Coitmaur; Coteswold (from its sheep-cotes, in the wood); the Wolds, near Wolderness, in Yorkshire; Ringwood, in Hants, Lat. Regni-sylva (the wood or forest of the Regni, a tribe); Wittstock and Woodstock (woody place); but Wittingau, Wittingen, Wittgenstein, Wittgensdorf, and other names with this prefix in Germany, come from the patronymic Wittick or Wittikind (i.e. the children of the woods). In England the same prefix may mean white, as in Witney, or from places where the Saxon Witangemote held their meetings; Holywood, in Dumfriesshire, Lat. Abbia sacra nemoris (the abbey of the sacred wood), called by the Irish Der-Congal (the sacred oak grove of Congal).
WIECK, or WIKI (Sclav.),
a market especially for corn; e.g. Wieck (the market town), the name of numerous places in the Sclavonic districts; Wikow (the Sclavonic name for Elsterwerder)—v. WARID, etc.
WIESE (Ger.),
WAES (A.S.),
pasture-ground or meadow; e.g. Pfaffenwiese (the priest’s meadow); Schaafwiese (sheep pasture); Wiesbaden (the meadow baths); the Wash (near moist pasture-ground); Wismar (beautiful or rich meadow), in Mecklenburg; Wiesflech (the hamlet in the meadow pasture); Ziegelwasen (the goat’s meadow); Wisheim (the dwelling in the meadow or pasture-ground).
WILIG (A.S.),
the willow; e.g. Wilcrick (willow crag); Wilden (willow hollow); but Willoughby and Willoughton, probably from a personal name.
WIN (A.S.),
victory; e.g. Winford, Winslow, Wingrave, Wimborne (the ford, hill, entrenchment, and brook of the victory).
WINKEL (Ger.),
WINCEL (A.S.),
a corner; e.g. Winceby (corner dwelling); Winchcomb (the corner hollow); Winchelsea (the island or moist land at the corner); Winchendon (corner hill); Winkleigh (corner meadow); Winkelhorst (corner thicket); Winkeldorf (corner village); Winklarn (the waste field at the corner).
WISCH, or OSSICK,
contracted from the Sclav. hussoki (high); e.g. Wissek, Weissagh, Wisowice or Wisowitz, Ossiegt, and Ossagh (high village); Wischhrad (high fortress); Wisoki-mazo-wieck (the high middle market-town), in Poland; but in Germany wisch is sometimes a form of wiese (meadow), as in Wischmühle (the meadow mill); Wischhausen (the dwelling in the meadow); Essek, for Ossick (high place), in Sclavonia.
WITHIG (A.S.),
the willow; e.g. Witham, Withern (willow dwelling); Withybrook (willow stream); Withridge (willow ridge).
WOH (A.S.),
a turning; e.g. Woburn, Wooburn (the bend of the stream); Woking (the turning at the chink or chine).
WOL (Sclav.),
the ox; e.g. Wolgast (the oxen’s shed); Wohlau (an enclosure for oxen), a town in Prussia which carries on a great trade in cattle; Wollin (the place of oxen), at the mouth of the R. Oder.
WOLSCHA, or OELZA (Sclav.),
the alder-tree; e.g. Wolschau, Wolschen, Wolsching, Wolschinka (the place abounding in alders); the Sclavonic name for the R. Elster is Wolshinka (the river of alders); Oels, in Silesia, on the Oelse (alder-tree stream); Oelsen and Olsenice (the village of alder-trees); Olsnitz (the town on Elster, or alder stream).
WOLV, or WOL,
a prefix sometimes employed with reference to the wolf, as in Wolvesley (the wolves’ island), where a tribute of wolves’ heads was paid annually by the Britons to the Saxons, by order of King Edgar. Sometimes as a contraction for wold (the waste land), as in Wolford, Wolborough, Woldingham, Wooler, and in Woolverton; but it comes often also from a personal name, as in Wolfhamcote, Wulferlow, Wolferton (from Ulp or Wulfhern).
WORTH, or WEORTHING (A.S.),
a farm, manor, or estate, a place warded or protected, A.S. warian (to defend); cognate with the Ger. warid or werder; e.g. Worthing in Sussex, Worthen in Salop, Worthy and Worting in Hants, Worthington in Lancashire (the farm or manor); Highworth (high manor); Kenilworth (the estate of Kenelm); Bosworth (of Bosa); Edgeworth (the estate on the border); Edgeware, anc. Edgeworth, same meaning; Polwarth (the estate on the marshy land), a parish in Berwickshire; Ravenworth (the manor of Hrafen); Rickmansworth (of Rickman); Tamworth (the manor), on R. Tam; Wandsworth, on the R. Wandle; Worksworth (the place near the miner’s works); Chatsworth (the manor in the wood), Celtic coed; Hammersmith, corrupt. from Hermoderworth (the manor of Hermode).
WURZE (Ger.),
WYRT (A.S.),
an herb, a plant; wyrtun, a garden; e.g. Wurtzburg, anc. Herbipolis (the city of plants); Wortley (the place or field of herbs); Warton (the garden).