The Welsh du, Gael. dubh, black, probably occurs in river-names, but I have taken, p. [36], the meaning of water, as found in Obs. Gael. dob, to be the general one. The Welsh dulas, dark or blackish blue, is found in the Dowles of Shropshire, and in several streams of Wales. The Douglas of Lanarkshire shews the original form of the word, from du, black, and glas, blue.
The root sal I have taken at p. [76] to have in some cases the simple meaning of water. But in the following the quality of saltness comes before us as a known characteristic.
| Germany. | Salz(aha), 8th cent. The Salza by Salzburg. |
| Salisus, 8th cent., now the Selse. | |
| The Salze. Joins the Werre. | |
| Hungary. | The Szala.[61] Falls into Lake Balaton. |
Of an opposite character are the following, which we may refer to Welsh melus, Gael. and Ir. milis, sweet, millse, sweetness. Some other rivers, as the ancient Melas in Asia Minor, now the Kara-su (Black river), and three rivers of the same name in Greece, must be referred to Gr. μελας, black.
| Germany. | Milzissa, 8th cent., now the Mülmisch. |
| Milsibach, 11th cent. | |
| Portugal. | Melsus ant. (Strabo). |
FOOTNOTES:
[59] The three first are names of persons, and to them we might perhaps refer the present family names Window, Windus, Vindin; though Windo and Winidin were also ancient German names.—(Förstemann's Altdeutsches Namenbuch.) The Welsh name Gwyn and the Irish Finn represent the later form of the word.
[60] Or, as I have elsewhere derived it, from the man's name Winder, still found in the district.
[61] The waters of Lake Balaton are described as "slightly salt," and I assume from the name that the Szala is the river from which its saltness is derived.