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

by Christina Blackie

AQUA (Lat.),
AGUA (Span. and Port.), ACQUA (It.),
EAU (Fr.; Old Fr. AX),

water; e.g. Aix, anc. Aquæ-Sextiæ (the warm springs, said to have been discovered and named by Sextus Calvenus, B.C. 123), in Provence; Aix, in Dauphiny, anc. Aquæ-Vocontiorum (the waters of the Vocontii); Aix-les-bains (the bath waters), in Savoy; Aachen or Aix-la-Chapelle, celebrated for its mineral springs, and for the chapel erected over the tomb of Charlemagne; Plombières, anc. Aquæ-plombariæ (waters impregnated with lead); Veraqua, in New Granada, corrupt. from Verdes-aguas (green waters); Aigue-perse (the bubbling water), in Auvergne; Aigue-vive (the spring of living water); Aigue-belle (beautiful water); Aigue-noire (black water, etc.), in France; Dax, celebrated for its saline springs, corrupt. from Civitas aquensis (the city of waters); Aigues-mortes (stagnant waters); Aguas-bellas (beautiful waters), Portugal; Aguas-calientes (warm waters), Mexico; Evaux, Evreux (on the waters), France; Evian, anc. Aquarum (the waters), Savoy; Entreves and Entraigues (between the waters), anc. Interaquæ; Yvoire, anc. Aquaria (the watery district), on Lake Geneva; Aas or Les Eaux (the waters), Basses Pyrénées; Nerac, anc. Aquæ Neriedum (the waters of the Nerii); Amboise and Amboyna (surrounded by waters); Bordeaux (the dwelling on the water), borda, Low Lat. (a dwelling); Vichy, anc. Aquæ calidæ (warm waters), on the Allier; Bex (upon the two waters), at the juncture of the Rhone and Avençon; Outre L’Eau (beyond the water); Acapulca, in Mexico, corrupt. from Portus aquæ pulchræ (the port of beautiful waters); Agoa-fria (cold water), Brazil; Aqui, in North Italy, celebrated for its baths; Acireale, anc. aguas calientes (the warm waters); Agoa-quente (hot spring), Brazil.

ARA,

a frequent element in river names, with various and even opposite meanings. Some of the river names may have come from the Sansc. ara (swift, or the flowing), and in Tamil aar means simply a river. There is another Sanscrit word arb (to ravage or destroy), with which the Gadhelic words garw, garbh (rough) may be connected; and, on the other hand, there is the Welsh araf (gentle). According to the locality and the characteristics of the stream, one must judge to which of these roots its name may belong. There are, in England, the Aire, Arre, Arro, Arrow; in France, the Arve, Erve, Arveiron, etc.; in Switzerland and Germany, the Aar, Are; in Spain and Italy, the Arva, Arno; and in Scotland, the Ayr, Aray, Irvine, etc. Many of these names may signify simply flowing water (the river), while others beginning with the syllable ar may be referred to the adjectival forms, araf, arb, ara, or garbh, followed by another root-word for water, as in Arrow (the swift stream); Yarrow (the rough stream); ow (water); Arveiron (the furious stream); avon (water); Arar (the gentle stream), now the Saone.

ARD, AIRD (Gadhelic),

a height, or, as an adjective, high; e.g. the Aird (the height) on the south coast of the island of Lewis, also in Inverness-shire; Aird Point in the island of Skye; Aird-dhu (the black height), a hill in Inverness-shire; the Airds (high lands in Argyleshire); Airdrie, Gael. Aird-righ (the king’s height), or, perhaps, Aird-reidh (the smooth height); Aird’s Moss (a muirland tract in Ayrshire); Ardbane (white height); Ardoch (high field); Ardclach (high stony ground); Ardach and Ardaghy (high field); Ardmore (great height); Ardeen and Arden (the little height); Ardglass (green height); Ardfert (the height of the grave or ditch, Irish fert); Ardrishaig (the height full of briers, driseach); Ardnamurchan (the height of the great headland, ceann, or of the great ocean, cuan); Ardgower (goat’s height); Ardtornish (the height of the cascade, cas and torr); Ardross (high point); Ardrossan (little high point); Ardchattan (St. Cathan’s height); Ardersier, Gael. Ard-ros-siar (the high western height); Ardlui (the height of the fawn, laoidh); Ardentinny (of the fire, teine); Ardboe (of the cow); Ardbraccan (of St. Brachan); Ardfinan (St. Finan’s height); Armagh, in Ireland, anc. Ardmacha (the height of Macha, the wife of one of the early Irish colonists); Arroquhar, in Dumbarton, i.e. Ardthir (the high land); Ardmeanach (the mossy height or the black isle); Ardgask (the hero’s height, Gael. gaisgeach, a hero); Ardnacrushy (of the cross); Ardtrea (St. Trea’s height); Ardnarea, i.e. Ard-na-riaghadh (the height of the executions, with reference to a dark tale of treachery and murder); Ardgay (windy height); Ardblair (high field); Ardwick (high town, a suburb of Manchester). The Lat. root arduus (high) is found in Ardea, in Italy; the Ardes (or heights), in Auvergne; Auvergne itself has been traced to Ar-fearann (high lands), but Cocheris, Au Noms de Lieu, gives its ancient name as Alverniacus (i.e. the domain of the Auvergni). Ardennes, Forest of (high-wooded valleys); Ardwick-le-street (the high town on the great Roman road), stratum. Ard, art, and artha are also Persian prefixes attached to the names of places and persons; e.g. Ardboodha (the high place of Buddha); Aravalli (the hill of strength); and such personal names as Artaxerxes, Artabanes, Artamenes. In some cases it may refer to the agricultural habits of the Indo-Germanic races (Lat. aro, Grk. αροω, Goth. arjan, Old High Ger. aran, Cel. ar (to plough), hence the Aryan tribes are those belonging to the dominant race—the aristocracy of landowners, as distinguished from the subject races—v. Taylor’s Names of Places.

ARN, ERN (Teut.),
ARNE,
ARA (Lat.), a home,
AREA, bas (Lat.), AIRE (Fr.),
AROS (Cel.),

a place, farm, dwelling; e.g. Heddern (hiding-place); Beddern (sleeping-place); Suthern (south place); Arne, a town in Yorkshire; Chiltern (chalk place); Whithorn, in Wigton, A.S. Whitern, Lat. Candida-casa (white house); Asperne (the place of poplar-trees); Femern (of cattle); Domern (of judgment); Thalern (valley dwelling); Mauthern (toll place); Bevern and Bevergern (the dwelling on the R. Bever); Aire, Lat. Area-Atrebatum (the dwelling of the Atrebates), on the Adour, in France; also Aire, on the Lys; Les Aires (the farms); Airon, etc., in France, Bavaria, Ger. Baiern (the dwelling of the Boii); Aros, Gael. (the dwelling), in Mull; Arosaig (corner dwelling), Argyle.

ARN (Old Ger.),
ARI (Norse),
ERYR (Welsh),

an eagle. This word is used in topography either with reference to the bird itself, or to a personal name derived from it; e.g. Arnfels (eagle’s rock); Arnberg, Arnstein, Arlberg (eagle mountain or rock); Arisdale (eagle valley, or the valley of a person called Arix); Arnau (eagle meadow); Arnecke (eagle corner); Arendal (eagle valley); Arenoe (eagle island); Eryri (the eagle mountain), the Welsh name for Snowdon.