The River-Names of Europe

by Robert Ferguson

The following have generally been referred to Gael. caol, straight, narrow.

1.	England.	The Cole. Warwickshire.
		The Coly. Devon.
2.	With the ending en.
	England.	The Colne. Three rivers.

But even if this derivation is to be received, we must seek another meaning for the Kola in Russian Lapland, and the Koli(ma) in Siberia—the latter in particular being a large river, with a wide estuary.

The Gael. and Ir. beag, little, forms the ending of some Irish river-names, as the Awbeg, the Owenbeg, and the Arobeg.[67] The meaning in all these cases is "little river"—owen being the same as avon, aw the simple form av of the same word, and aro an appellative as at p. [38], now lost in the Celtic.

From the Gael. suail, small, have also been derived the Swale and other following rivers. Chalmers rightly objects to this as inconsistent with the character of the rivers, though the derivation which he proposes to substitute, from ys-wall, a sheltered place, affords, it must be admitted, no very happy alternative. I think the word contained must be related to Old High German swal, Old Norse svelgr, gurges, Eng. swell, though it is wanting in the Celtic.

1.	England.	The Swale. Two rivers, Kent and Yorkshire.
		The Swily. Gloucestershire.
	Ireland.	The Swelly. Donegal.
		The Swilly. Ulster.
	Germany.	Suala ant. The Schwale.
	France.	Sulgas ant., now the Sorgue.
	Russia.	The Sula—here?
2.	With the ending en.
	Ireland.	The Sullane.

The following must be referred to Old High Germ. sualm, gurges, an extension of the previous word sual.

Germany.	Sualman(aha), 8th century. The Schwalm.
	Sulmana, 8th cent. The Sulm.
Belgium.	The Salm. Prov. Liège.
France.	The Solman. Dep. Jura.

The Shannon has by some writers been derived from Ir. sean or shean, old. But inasmuch as there is no river that is otherwise than old, the term could only be used in a poetic sense, like "that ancient river, the river Kishon." A more suitable etymon, however, seems to me to be found in Ir. and Obs. Gael. siona, delay; this corresponds with the Gaelic form of the name, Sionan, given by Armstrong.

Scotland.	The Shin. Sutherland.
Ireland.	Senus (Ptolemy). The Shannon.
Germany.	Sinna, 8th cent. The Sinn.
Belgium.	The Senne. Joins the Dyle.
Italy.	Sena ant., now the Nevola.
Aust. Pol.	The San, two rivers—here?
India.	The Seena—here?