The only words I can find at all bearing upon the following river-names are the Serv. jezor, Bohem. and Illyr. jezero, lake, wherein may probably lie a word jez, signifying water. But respecting its etymology I am entirely in the dark.

1.Germany.Jaz(aha), 8th cent., now the Joss.
Jez(awa), 11th cent., a brook near Lobenstein.
The Jetza. Joins the Elbe.
The Jess(ava). Joins the Danube.
2.With the ending er.
Russia.The Jisdra. Joins the Oka.
3.Compounded with main, river.
Russia.The Jesmen. Gov. Tchnerigov.

Another word, of which the belongings are not clearly to be traced, is the Armorican houl, houlen, unda, to which we may put the following.

1.England.The Hull. Joins the Humber.
Finland.The Ullea. Gulf of Bothnia.
Spain.The Ulla in Galicia.
2.Compounded with ster, river.
Germany.Ulstra, 9th cent., now the Ulster.

In the Irish and Obs. Gael. dothar, water, Welsh diod, drink, diota, to tipple—with which we may perhaps also connect the Lapp. dadno, river, Albanian δέτ, sea, and Rhæt. dutg, torrent, we may find the root of the following.

1.Germany.The Duyte. Joins the Hase.
The Dude, a small stream in Prussia.
2.With the ending en.
England.The Duddon. Lake district.
3.With the ending er.
Ireland.The Dodder.
4.Compounded with mal.[36]
Germany.Duthmala, 8th cent., now the Dommel.

From the Welsh wyl, Ang.-Sax. wyllan, Eng. well, to flow or gush, (Sansc. vail, to move?), we got the following.

1.England.The Willy. Wiltshire.
Denmark.The Veile, in Jutland.
Norway.The Villa.
Russia.The Vel. Joins the Vaga.
The Vilia. Joins the Niemen.
The Viliu, (Siberia). Joins the Lena.
2.With the ending en.
England.The Welland, (properly Wellan?)
Russia.The Vilna. Gov. Minsk.
Italy.The Velino. Joins the Nera.
3.With the ending er.
India.The Vellaur, Madras—here?
4.With the ending s.
Germany.The Vils, two rivers in Bavaria.
The Welse. Joins the Oder.
Spain.The Velez. Prov. Malaga.

A word which appears to have the meaning of water or river, but respecting the etymology of which I am quite ignorant, is asop or asp. That it has the above meaning I infer only from finding it as the second part of the word in the ancient river-names Cho(aspes), Hyd(aspes), and Zari(aspis). In an independent form it occurs in the following. Lhuyd, (in the appendix to Baxter's glossary), referring to Hespin as the name of sundry small streams in Wales, derives it from hespin, a sheep that yields no milk, because these streams are almost dry in summer. This derivation is unquestionably false so far as this, that the two words are merely derived from the same origin, viz., Welsh hesp or hysp, dry, barren. But whether this word has anything to do with the following names is doubtful; it seems at any rate unsuitable for the large rivers, such as the Hydaspes, (the Jhylum of the Punjaub). From the derivation of Mone, who finds in Isper, as in Wipper, p. [64], a word per, mountain, I entirely dissent.

1.France.The Aspe. Basses—Pyrenees.
Germany.Hesapa ant., now the Hesper.
Greece.Asopus ant. Two rivers.
2.With the ending er.
Germany.Ispera, 10th cent. The Isper.