a grove; e.g. Soto, the name of several places in Spain; Sotilla (the little grove); Sotilla-de-las-Palomas (the little grove of the doves); Sotilla-de-la-ribera (the little grove of the river-bank).
SPINA (Lat.),
EPINE (Fr.),
a thorn; e.g. Epinac, Epinal, Epinay, in France; Espinosa, in Spain (the thorny place); Epinville (the thorny villa); Epineuil (the thorny fountain, œuil); Epinoy, Epineuse, etc., in France; Speen, in Co. Berks, anc. Spinæ (the thorny place).
SPITAL (Nor.-Fr.),
YSPYTTY (Cym.-Cel.),
SPIDEAL (Gadhelic),
an hospital or place of entertainment for strangers or invalids, from the Lat. hospitium; e.g. Spittal, in Caithness and Co. Pembroke; Spittle, in Cheshire and in Berwickshire; the Spital of Glenshee, in Perthshire; Dalna-Spidal (the field of the hospital); Spittalfields, in Middlesex; Yspytty-Rhew-Ystwith, on the R. Ystwith; Yspytty-Evan (Evan’s hospital), in Wales; Llanspithid, in Brecknock, which derived its name from an ancient Ysbytty hospitium that existed here, supported by the priory of Malvern. These names and many others in England and Scotland derived their names from hospitals attached to religious houses in the Middle Ages.
SPRING (Teut.),
SPRONG (Scand.),
a water-source; e.g. Springthorpe (the farm at the fountain); Adlerspring (the eagle’s fountain); Lippspring (at the source of the R. Lippe); Springe (at the source of the R. Haller); Magdespring (the maiden’s fountain).
SRATH (Gadhelic),
YSTRAD (Cym.-Cel.),
an extensive valley, Anglicised strath; e.g. Strathmore and Strathbeg (the great and little valleys); Strathavon, Strathblan, Strathbogie, Strathconan, Strathearn (the valleys of the Rivers Avon, Blane, Bogie, Conan, and Earn); Strathyre, corrupt. from Srathiar (the western valley, with reference to Strathearn, the eastern), in Perthshire; Strathclyde, Strathnaver, Strathspey, Strathallan, Strathpeffer, Strathbran, Strathgriffe (the valleys of the Rivers Clyde, Naver, Spey, Allan, Peffer, Bran, and Griffe); Strath Tary, in Sutherlandshire (the bull’s strath, tairebb); Strichen, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from Srath-Ugie (the valley of the R. Ugie); Strathdon, corrupt. from Srath-domhain (the valley of the deep river); Ystrad-Tywy (the valley of the R. Tywy), in Wales; Ystrad-yw (yew-tree valley or the valley of the brook Ywen); Yester, a parish in East Lothian, from Ystrad; Ystrad-fflur (the flowery valley), called by the Romans Strata-Florida; Ystrad-gwnlais (the valley of the trench, clais, through which a stream flows); Straiton, in Ayrshire (the town on the Strath); Traquhair (sheep valley).
SRON (Gadhelic),
TRWYN (Cym.-Cel.),