ARX (Lat.),
a fortress; e.g. Arcé, anc. Arx, a town in Italy with a hill fortress called Rocca d’Arcé (the rock of the fortress); Arcis sur Aube (the fortress on the R. Aube), in France; Arcole and Arcola, in Lombardy and Sardinia; Saar-Louis, anc. Arx-Ludovici-Sarum (the fortress of Louis on the Saar), founded by Louis XIV., 1680; Arx-fontana or Fuentes (the fortress of the fountain), in Spain; Monaco, anc. Arx-Monæci (the fortress of the Monæci), on the Gulf of Genoa; Thours, anc. Tuedæ-Arx (the fortress on the R. Thouet), in France.
AS, or AAS (Scand.),
a hill ridge; e.g. Astadr (ridge dwelling); As and Aas, the names of several towns in Sweden and Norway; Aswick, Aastrap, Aasthorp (the village or farm on the ridge) in Shetland.
ASTA (Basque),
a rock; e.g. Astorga, in Spain, Lat. Asturica-Augusta (the great city on the rocky water, ura); Astiapa and Estepa (the dwelling at the foot of the rock), in Spain; Astulez and Astobeza, also in Spain; Asti, a district in Sardinia which was peopled by Iberians or Basques; Astura (the rocky river); Asturias (the country of the dwellers by that river); Ecija, in Spain, anc. Astigi (on the rock); Estepa and Estepona (rocky ground).
ATH, AGH (Gadhelic),
AUGH,
a ford. This root-word is more common in Ireland than in Scotland, and is cognate with the Lat. vadum, and the A.S. wath or wade; e.g. Athy, i.e. Ath-Ae (the ford of Ae, a Munster chief who was slain at the spot); Athmore (great ford); Athdare (the ford of oaks); Athenry (the king’s ford); Athlone, i.e. Ath Luaen (the ford of St. Luan); Athleague (stony ford); Athane (little ford); Aghanloo (Lewy’s little ford); the town of Trim is in Irish Athtruim (the ford of the elder trees); Agolagh, i.e. Athgoblach (the forked ford); Aboyne (the ford of the river), on the Dee in Aberdeenshire; Athgoe, i.e. Ath-goibhne (the ford of the smiths), in Dublin.
ATHEL (A.S.),
ADEL (Ger.),
ADELIG (Gothic),
noble, or the nobles; e.g. Adelsdorf, Adelsheim, Adelshofen, Attelbury (the nobles’ dwelling); Athelney (the island of the nobles), in Somersetshire, formerly insulated by the rivers Tone and Parret; Addelsfors (the nobles’ waterfall); Adelsberg (the nobles’ hill); Adelsclag (the nobles’ wood-clearing); Adelsoe (the nobles’ island); Adelmanns-felden (the nobleman’s field).