Temple. The seat of the “Knights Templars” in this country down to the time of the dissolution of their Order by Edward II. in 1313.
Temple Bar. The ancient gateway, at the western extremity of Fleet Street, defining the “liberty” of the city of London on that side, and originally set up as the ordinary entrance to the London house of the Knights Templars. Taken down in 1878, the “Bar” now adorns the park of Sir Henry Meux at Theobalds, Cheshunt, Herts.
Tenement House. An Americanism for a dwelling-house let off to different families.
Tennessee. Indian for “river of the great bend.”
Tent Wine. A corruption of vinto tinto, the Spanish for a white wine coloured.
Terpsichorean Art. After Terpsichore, one of the Nine Muses, who presided over dancing.
Terra-cotta. Italian for “baked earth”--i.e. clay.
Texas. Indian for “the place of protection,” where a colony of French refugees were kindly received in 1817.
Thaler. Originally called a Joachims-Thaler, because this German coin was struck out of silver found in the thal, or dale, of St Joachim in France about 1518. From this “Thaler” the term “Dollar” has been derived.
Thames. To assert that this name has been derived from the Latin (?) Thamesis, “the broad Isis,” or that it expresses the conjunction of the Thame and the Isis, is ridiculous. The word is wholly Celtic, from tam, smooth, and esis, one of the many variants of the original uisg, water. It is quite true that that portion of our noble river which flows past Oxford is called the Isis, but the name is scholastic only, and cannot be found in any ancient charter or historical document. Thames simply means smooth water, or, if we care to admit it, “the smooth Isis.”