EA (A.S.), EY, AY,
EGE or EG
OE, O, or A (Scand.),
OOG (Dutch),
an island; from ea, a, aa, running water; ea or ey enter into the composition of many A.S. names of places which are now joined to the mainland or to rich pastures by the river-side, as in Eton, Eaton, Eyam, Eyworth, Eywick (dwellings by the water); Eyemouth, Moulsy, on the R. Mole; Bermondsey, now included in the Metropolis; Eamont, anc. Eamot (the meeting of waters); Fladda and Fladday (flat island); Winchelsea (either the corner, A.S. wincel, of the water, or the island of Wincheling, son of the Saxon king Cissa, who founded it); Swansea (Sweyn’s town, on the water), at the mouth of the Tawey; Anglesea (the island of the Angles or English), so named by the Danes—its Welsh name was Ynys-Fonn or Mona; Portsea (the island of the haven); Battersea (St. Peter’s isle), because belonging to St. Peter’s Abbey, Westminster; Chelsea (ship island, or the island of the sandbank)—v. p. 46, CEOL, CEOSEL; Ely (eel island); Jersey (Cæsar’s isle); Olney (holly meadow); Odensee (Woden’s island or town on the water); Whalsey (whale island, hval); Rona (St. Ronan’s isle); Mageroe (scraggy island); Nordereys and Sudereys—from this word Sudereys, the Bishop of Sodor and Man takes his title—(the north and south isles), names given by the Norsemen to the Hebrides and the Orkneys under their rule; Oesel (seal island); Oransay (the island of St. Oran); Pabba and Papa (priest’s isle). The Papae or Christian anchorites came from Ireland and the west of Scotland to Orkney and Shetland, and traces of them were found in Iceland on its discovery by the Norsemen, hence probably such names as Pappa and Crimea (the island of the Cymri or Cimmerians); Morea (the mulberry-shaped island); Shapinsay (the isle of Hjalpand, a Norse Viking); Faröe (the sheep islands—faar, Scand.); Faroe, also in Sweden; but Farr, a parish in the north of Scotland, is from faire, Gael. a watch or sentinel, from a chain of watch-towers which existed there in former times; Staffa (the island of the staves or columns, Scand. stav); Athelney (the island of the nobles); Bressay, Norse Bardie’s ay (giant’s island); Bardsey (the bard’s island), the last retreat of the Welsh bards; Femoe (cattle island); Fetlar, anc. Fedor’s-oe (Theodore’s island); Romney (marsh island), Gael. Rumach; Sheppey, A.S. Sceapige (sheep island); Langeoog (long island); Oeland (water land); Torsay (the island with conical hills, torr); Chertsey, A.S. Ceortes-ige (Ceorot’s island); Lingley (heathery island), ling, Norse (heather); Muchelney (large island); Putney, A.S. Puttanige (Putta’s isle); Thorney (thorny island), but its more ancient name was Ankerige, from an anchorite who dwelt in a cell in the island.
EADAR, EDAR (Cel.), between,
ENTRE (Fr., Span., and Port.),
INTER (Lat.),
e.g. Eddertoun, Co. Ross (between hills)—v. DUNE; Eddra-chillis, i.e. Eadar da Chaolas (between two firths), Co. Sutherland; Killederdaowen, in Galway, i.e. Coill-eder-da-abhainn (the wood between two rivers); and Killadrown, King’s County, with the same meaning; Cloonederowen, Galway (the meadow between two rivers); Ballydarown (the townland between two rivers). In France: Entre-deux-mers (between two seas); Entrevaux (between valleys); Entre-rios (between streams), in Spain; Entre-Douro-e-Minho (between these rivers), in Portugal; Interlacken (between lakes), in Switzerland.
EAGLAIS (Gadhelic),
EGLWYS (Cym.-Cel.),
ILIZ (Armoric),
EGYHAZ (Hung.),
a church. These and synonymous words in the Romance languages are derived from Lat. ecclesia, and that from the Grk. ὲκκλησια (an assembly); e.g. Eccles, a parish and suburb of Manchester, also the name of two parishes in Berwickshire; Eccleshall, in Staffordshire, so called because the bishops of Lichfield formerly had a palace there; Eccleshill (church hill), in Yorkshire; Eccleston (church town), in Lancashire; Ecclesmachan (the church of St. Machan), in Linlithgow; Eaglesham (the hamlet at the church), Co. Renfrew; Ecclescraig or Ecclesgrieg (the church of St. Gregory or Grig), in Kincardine; Eglishcormick (St. Cormac’s church), Dumfries; Ecclescyrus (of St. Cyrus), in Fife; Lesmahago, Co. Lanark, corrupt. from Ecclesia-Machuti (the church of St. Machute, who is said to have settled there in the sixth century); Carluke, in Lanarkshire, corrupt. from Eccles-maol-Luke (the church of the servant of St. Luke); Terregles, anc. Traver-eglys (church lands), Gael. treabhair (houses), in Kirkcudbright. In Wales: Eglwys Fair (St. Mary’s church); Hen-eglwys (old church); Aglish and Eglish (the church), the names of parishes in Ireland; Aglishcloghone (the church of the stepping-stones); Iglesuela (little church), in Spain; Fèhér eghaz (white church), in Hungary. In France: Eglise-aux-bois (the church in the woods); Eglise neuve (new church); Eglisolles, Eliçaberry, and Eliçaberria (the church in the plain). Such names as Aylesford, Aylsworth, Aylesby, etc., may be derived from eglwys or ecclesia, corrupted.
EAS, ESS, ESSIE (Gadhelic),
a waterfall; e.g. the R. Ness and Loch Ness (i.e. the river and lake of the Fall of Foyers); Essnambroc (the waterfall of the badger); Essmore (the great waterfall); Doonass (i.e. Irish Dun easa (the fort of the cataract), on the Shannon; Caherass, in Limerick, with the same meaning; Pollanass (the pool of the waterfall); Fetteresso, in Kincardine (the uncultivated land, fiadhair, near the waterfall); Edessa, in Turkey, seems to derive its name from the same root, as its Sclavonic name is Vodena, with the same meaning; Edessa, in Mesopotamia, is on the R. Daisan; Portessie (the port of the waterfall), Banff.
EBEN (Ger.),
a plain; e.g. Ebenried and Ebenrinth (the cleared plain); Ebnit (on the plain); Breite-Ebnit (broad plain); Holzeben (woody plain).