PONS (Lat.),
PONT (Welsh),
the bridge, with its derivatives in the Romance and in the Welsh languages; e.g. Pontefract, Lat. Ad-pontem-fractum (at the broken bridge); Pontoise (the bridge across the R. Oise); Pont-Audemer (the bridge built by Aldemar across the R. Rille); Pont-de-briques (the bridge of bricks); Pont-d’Espagne, corrupt. from Pont-de-sapins (the fir-tree bridge); Ponteland, in Northumberland, corrupt. from Ad-pontem-Ælianum (at the bridge of Ælius); Pontigny (bridge town); Les-Ponts-de-Cé (the bridges of Cæsar), a town in France, with four bridges across the Loire; Negropont, probably a corrupt. of Egripo, which the Italian sailors translated into Negripo or Negropont (black bridge), in allusion to the narrow strait called in Greek Euripos (i.e. the strait with the violent current), on which the town was built—the name of the town was gradually extended to the whole island, till then called Eubœa; Ponte-vedra (the old bridge), and Puenta-de-la-Reyna (the queen’s bridge), in Spain; Grampound, in Cornwall, Welsh Pout-maur (the great bridge), corrupt. from the Fr. Grand-pont; Paunton, in Lincoln, anc. Ad-pontem (at the bridge); Pontesbury (bridge town), in Cheshire; Ponte-corvo (the crooked bridge), in Campania; Deux-ponts (the two bridges), in Bavaria. In Wales: Pont-faen (stone bridge); Pont-newydd (new bridge); Pont-glasllyn (the bridge at the blue pool); Pont-y-glyn (the bridge of the glen); Pont-y-pair (the bridge of the cauldron); Pont-ar-ddulas (the bridge on the dark water); Pont-ar-Fynach (the devil’s bridge); Pontypool (the bridge of the pool); Pant-yr-ysgraff, probably corrupt. from Pont-yr-ysgraff (the bridge of boats). In France: Poncelle, Ponchel, Poncelet, Ponceaux, etc.; Pont-à-couleuvre, in the depart. of Oise, probably from an Old Lat. text, in which this place is called Pont-à-qui-l’ouvre (i.e. the bridge to whomsoever may open), it being a bridge closed by barriers—Cocheris’s Noms de Lieu.
POOR, PORE, PURA (Sansc.),
a city; e.g. Nagpoor (snake city); Chuta Nagpore (the little snake city); Amarapoora (divine city); Bejapore or Visiapoor (the city of victory); Berampore (of the Mahometan sect called Bohra); Bhagulpore (tiger city); Ahmedpore (the city of Ahmed); Ahmedpore Chuta (the little city of Ahmed); Callianpoor (flourishing city); Bhurtpore (the city of Bhurat, the brother of the god Ram); Rampoor (Ram’s city); Bissenpoor (of Vishnu); Ferozepore (of Feroze-Togluk); Huripoor (of Hari or Vishnu); Shahjehanpoor (of Shah Jehan); Mahabalipoor (of Bali the Great); Caujapoor (of the Virgin); Rajapore (of the rajah); Cawnpoor or Khanpur (of the Beloved One, a title of Krishna); Hajipoor (of the pilgrim); Ghazipore (of Ghazi, a martyr); Mirzapoor (the city of the emir); Secunderpoor (of Secunder Lodi); Sidhpoor (of the saint); Singapore (of the lions); Russoulpoor (of the prophet); Chandpoor (of the moon); Joudpoor (war city); Ratnapoor (of rubies); Munnipora (of jewels); Darmapooram (of justice); Dinajpore (of beggars); Futtepoor (of victory); Sudhapura (bright city); Conjeveram, corrupt. from Canchipura (the golden city); Trivandrum, corrupt. from Tiruvanan-thapuram (the town of the holy Eternal One), in Travancore.
PRAAG, PRAYAGA (Sansc.),
a holy place; e.g. Vissenpraag (the holy place of Vishnu); Devaprayaga (God’s holy place).
PRADO (Span. and Port.),
PRATA (It.),
PRAIRIE (Fr.),
a meadow, derived from the Lat. pratum; e.g. the Prairies or meadow lands; Prato-Vecchio (the old meadow), in Tuscany; Ouro-preto, corrupt. from Ouro-prado (the gold meadow), near a gold mine in Brazil. In France, Prémol, i.e. pratum molle (the smooth meadow); Prabert, i.e. Pratum Alberti (Albert’s meadow); Pradelles, Les Prések, Prémontié, Lat. Pratum-mons (the mount in the meadow), the site of an abbey, chief of the order of the Prémontié.
PUEBLA (Span.),
a collection of people, hence a village; e.g. La Puebla, in Mexico; La Puebla-de-los-Angelos (the village of the angels), in Mexico.