1.Germany.The Parde. Joins the Elster.
The Bord, in Moravia—here?
2.With the ending en.
Asia Minor.Parthenius ant.—here?[56]

In the sense of "that which spreads" I am inclined to bring in the root ta, tav, tan, tam. While in the Gaelic we find tain, and the Obs. ta, water, taif, sea—in the Welsh we have the verbs taenu and tafu, to expand or spread. The latter, I think, must contain the root-meaning; and the appellatives must rather signify water of a spreading character. In this sense we find the words to, tû, tau, in the Hungarian dialects signifying a lake. The Sansc. has tan, to extend, but we must presume a simpler form ta, corresponding with the above Obs. Gael. word for water. Mone explains tab, as in Tabuda (the Scheldt), as "a broad river, especially one with a broad mouth." This sense no doubt obtains in many of the names of this group, for, as well as the Scheldt; the Tay, Taw, Teign, and Tamar, all have this character in a more or less notable degree. In other cases the sense may be that of comparative broadness—thus the Timavus, though little more than a mile long, is 50 yards broad close to its source. So the characteristic of the Dane, as noticed by the county topographers, is that it is "broad and shallow." And the feature which strikes the topographer is of course that which would naturally give the name. There are, however, some other roots which might intermix, as Sansc. tan, resonare, Lat. tono, Germ. tönen, &c. Also Gael. and Ir. taam, to pour; Gael. and Ir. tom, to bathe, Welsh and Ir. ton, unda.

The form Ta, Tab, Tav.
1.England.The Tavy and the Taw. Devon.
Deva ant., the Dee—here?
Scotland.Tavus ant. The Tay.
The Dee, two rivers—here?
Wales.The Taw, the Tivy, and the Tave.
Ireland.The Tay. Waterford.
Loch Ta in Wexford.
France.The Dive, Dep. Vienne—here?
Germany.The Thaya in Moravia.
Spain.The Deva by Placentia—here?
2.With the ending d or t.
Scotland.The Teviot in Roxburghshire—here?
Holland.Tabuda ant., now the Scheldt.
Siberia.The Tavda.
India.The Taptee—here?
The form Tan, Tam.
1.England.The Teign and the Teane.
The Dane and the Deane.
The Tame, three rivers.
Scotland.The Tema. Selkirkshire.
Danus ant., now the Don.
France.Danus ant., now the Ain.
The Dahme and the Déaume.
Norway.The Tana.
Italy.Timavus ant., now the Timao.
Russia.Tanais ant., now the Don.
The Tim and the Tom.
Greece.Tanus ant., now the Luku.
2.With the ending er.
England.The Tamar. Cornwall.
Belgium.The Demer.
Italy.Tanarus ant., now the Tanaro.
Spain.Tamaris ant., now the Tambre.
Syria.Tamyras ant., (Strabo)—here?
3.With the ending d.
England.Tamede (Cod. Dip.), now the Teme.
Mauretania.Tamuda ant. (Pliny.)
4.With the ending es.
England.The Thames. Tamesis (Cæsar), Tamesa (Tacitus), Tamese, Temis (Cod. Dip.), Welsh Tain.
Hungary.The Temes ant. Pathisus, (see note p. [132]).

From the root tan, to extend, we may probably also derive the word tang found in Hung. tenger, sea, Ostiakic (an Ugric dialect of the Finnic class) tangat, river, and in the Dan. tang, sea-weed, which probably contains a trace of an older sense.

1.Holland.The Donge in Brabant.
Norway.The Tengs.
2.With the ending er.
Germany.Tongera, 10th cent., now the Tanger.
Italy.Tanager ant., now the Tanagro—here?

FOOTNOTES:

[37] This, one of the Homeric rivers, was not identified in the time of Pliny.

[38] Perhaps formed from et by a phonetic n. So the Eamont in Cumberland seems to have been called in the time of Leland the Eamot.

[39] It will be seen, however, that while admitting this root, I do not place Garonne to it.

[40] Smith's Ancient Geography.