The River-Names of Europe - Robert Ferguson

[58] In this case the ending en is very clearly a contraction of abon or avon, river.

CHAPTER VII.

QUALITY OF WATERS.

There are a number of river-names in which the sense of clearness, brightness, or transparency is to be traced. From the Sansc. cand, to shine, Lat. candeo, Welsh, Ir. Arm., and Obs. Gael. can, white, clear, pure, we get the following. But the Gael. and Ir., caoin, soft, gentle, is a word liable to intermix.

1.	England.	The Cann. Essex.
		The Ken or Kent. Westmoreland.
		The Kenne. Devonshire.
	Scotland.	The Ken. Joins the Dee.
		The Conn. Cona of Ossian.
		Candy burn. Lanarkshire.
	Wales.	The Cain. Merioneth.
	Germany.	Cone, 9th cent., now the Cond.
	Russia.	The Kana. Gov. Yeniseisk.
	India.	The Cane or Ken—here?
2.	With the ending en.
	Scotland.	The Conan. Dingwall.
	Italy.	The Cantiano. Pont. States.
3.	With the ending er.
	England.	The Conder. Lancashire.
	England.	The Conner. Cornwall.
	Switzerland.	The Kander.
4.	Compounded with vi, wy, river.
4.	Wales.	Conovius ant. The Conway.

The Old Celtic word vind, found in many ancient names of persons and places, as Vindo, Vindus, Vindanus,[59] Vindobona, Vindobala, &c., represents the present Welsh gwyn (=gwynd), and the Ir. finn (=find), white. "The Celt. vind," observes Gluck, "comes from the same root as the Goth. hveit; it stands for cvind with an intrusive n; the root is cvid = the Germ. root hvit." The meaning in river-names is bright, clear, pure.

1.	England.	The Vent. Cumberland.
		The Quenny. Shropshire.
	Wales.	The Gwynedd (=Gwynd?)
	Ireland.	The Finn. Ulster.
	France.	The Vendée. Dep. Vendée.
	Russia.	The Vind(au) or Wind(au).
2.	With the ending en.
	Scotland.	The Finnan. Inverness.
3.	With the ending er.
	England.	The lake Winder(mere)?[60]
	Ireland.	Winderius; Ptolemy, a river not identified.
4.	With the ending rn, p. [34].
	Scotland.	The Findhorn. Inverness.
5.	With the ending el.
	England.	The Wandle. Surrey.
	Germany.	Finola, 8th cent., now the Vehne.

From the Welsh llwys, clear, pure, Gael. las, to shine, Gael. and Ir. leus, light, cognate with Old Norse lios, clear, pure, Lat. luceo, &c., I derive the following. The Gael. lâ, lo, day, must, I think, contain the root.