The River-Names of Europe - Part 15
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Part 15

2. _With the ending er._ _France._ The TARDOIRE. Dep. Charente.

_Aust. Italy._ The TARTARO.

3. _With the ending es._ _Spain._ TARTESSUS ant., now the Guadalquiver.

With the Sansc. _till_, to move, to agitate, we may probably connect the Gael. _dile_ and _tuil_, Welsh _diluw_, _dylif_, _dylwch_, a flood, deluge, as also Ang.-Sax. _dilgian_, German _tilgen_, to overthrow, destroy, &c. The Ang.-Sax. _delan_, Germ. _thielen_, to divide, in the sense of boundary, may however intermix in these names.

1. _England._ The TILL. Northumberland.

_Ireland._ The DEEL. Limerick.

_Germany._ The DILL. Na.s.sau.

_Belgium._ THILIA, 9th cent., now the DYLE in Bravant.

_Switzerland._ The THIELE.

2. _With the ending en._ _Germany._ The TOLLEN. Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

3. _With the ending er._ _Scotland._ The DILLAR burn. Lesmahagow.

4. _With the ending es._ _Germany._ The TILSE, by Tilsit.

With the two Welsh forms _dylif_ and _dylwch_, deluge, we may perhaps connect the following, though for the former the Ang.-Sax. _delfan_, to dig, _delf_, a ditch, may also be suitable.

_Germany._ DELV(UNDA), 9th century, now the DELVEN(AU).

DELCHANA, 11th century, now the DALCKE.

From the Gael. and Ir. _taosg_, to pour, _tias_, tide, flood, may be the following. Perhaps the special sense of cataract may come in, at least in some cases, as two of the under-noted rivers, the Tees and the Tosa, are noted for their falls.

1. _England._ The TEES. Durham.

_Switzerland._ The ToSS. Cant. Zurich.

_Piedmont._ The TOSA.

_Russia._ The TESCHA. Joins the Oka.

_Hungary._ TYSIA ant., now the THEISS.

_Greece._ TIASA ant. Laconia.

_India._ The TOUSE--here?

2. _With the ending en._ _Switzerland._ The TESSIN or TICINO.

_Germany._ The DESNA. Joins the Dnieper.

_France._ The TACON. Dep. Jura.

3. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ TUSSALE (_Genitive_), 11th cent., now the DUSSEL by Dusseldorf.

4. _With the ending st._[47]

_England._ The TEST. Hants.

_Germany._ The DISTA. Prussia.

_India._ The TEESTA--here?

From the Sansc. _gad_ or _gand_, Ang.-Sax. _geotan_, Suio-Goth. _gjuta_, Danish _gyde_, Old Norse _giosa_, Old High Ger. _giezen_, Obs. Gael.

_guis_, all having the meaning of Eng. "gush," we get the following. The Gotha or Gta of Sweden may probably derive its name from the well-known fall which it makes at Trolhaetta. So also the Gaddada of Hindostan is noted for its falls; and the Giessbach is of European celebrity. But in some of the other names the sense may not extend beyond that of wandering, as we find it in Eng. _gad_, which I take to be also from this root. Or that of stream, as in Old High Germ. _giozo_, Gael. and Ir. _gaisidh_, rivulus.

1. _England._ The GADE. Herts.

_Scotland._ GADA ant.,[48] now the JED by Jedburgh.

_Germany._ The GOSE. Joins the Ocker.

GEIS(AHA), 8th cent., now the GEISA.

The GANDE, Brunswick--here, or to _can_, _cand_, pure?

_Switzerland._ The GIESS(BACH). Lake of Brienz.

_Spain._ The GATA. Joins the Alagon.

_Sweden._ The GOTHA or GTA.

The GIDEA, enters the G. of Bothnia.

_Asia._ GYNDES (_Herodotus_), perhaps the Diala--here?

2. _With the ending en._ _Asia Minor._ CYDNUS ant., now the Tersoos Chai.

3. _With the ending er._ _Persia._ The GADER.

_Sardinia._ CaeDRIUS ant., now the Fiume dei Orosei.

4. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ GISIL(AHA), 8th cent., now the GIESEL--here?

5. _With the ending ed._ _India._ The GADDADA.

6. _Compounded with main, stream._ _Switzerland._ The GADMEN.

From the Sansc. _arb_ or _arv_, to ravage or destroy, cognate with Lat.

_orbo_, &c., may be the following. To the very marked characteristic of the Arve in Savoy I have referred at p. 6. But there is a word of precisely opposite meaning, the Celt. _arab_, Welsh _araf_, gentle, which is very liable to intermix.

1. _France._ The ARVE and the ERVE.

_Germany._ ORB(AHA), 11th cent., now the ORB.

_Sardinia._ The ARVE and the ORBE.

_Hungary._ The ARVA. Joins the Waag.

_Spain._ The ARVA, three rivers, tributaries to the Ebro.

2. _With the ending en._ _Scotland._ The IRVINE. Co. Ayr.

_France._ ARVENNA ant., now the ORVANNE.

3. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ ARBALO, 1st cent., now the ERPE.

4. _With the ending es._ _Asia Minor._ HARPASUS ant., now the HARPA.

In the Sansc. _cal_, to move, and the derivatives Sansc. _calas_, Gr.

?e???, Obs. Gael. _callaidh_, Latin _celer_, all having the same meaning--the sense of rapidity seems sufficiently marked to include them in this chapter.

1. _Scotland._ The GALA. Roxburgh.

_Sicily._ GELA ant.[49]

_Illyria._ The GAIL.

_Greece._ CALLAS ant., in Euba.

_As. Turkey._ The CHALUS of Xenophon, now the Koweik.

2. _With the ending en._ _Ireland._ The CALLAN. Armagh.

3. _With the ending er = Lat. celer?_ _Italy._ CALOR ant., now the CALORE.

4. _With the ending es = Sansc. calas, &c.?_ _Germany._ CHALUSUS, 2nd cent., supposed to be the Trave.