List of river name etymologies

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This article lists the various etymologies (origins) of the names of rivers around the world.

Contents

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Oceania

Australia

New Zealand

Europe

North America

South America

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittonic languages</span> Celtic subfamily including Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Cumbric

The Brittoniclanguages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family; the other is Goidelic. It comprises the extant languages Breton, Cornish, and Welsh. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning Ancient Britons as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cognate</span> Words inherited by different languages

In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the sound and the meaning of a word, cognates may not be obvious, and it often takes rigorous study of historical sources and the application of the comparative method to establish whether lexemes are cognate. Cognates are distinguished from loanwords, where a word has been borrowed from another language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Morrígan</span> Irish Celtic deity

The Morrígan or Mórrígan, also known as Morrígu, is a figure from Irish mythology. The name is Mór-ríoghan in modern Irish before the spelling reform, and it has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen".

Belisama is a Celtic goddess. She was identified by Roman commentators with Minerva by interpretatio romana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devana</span> Western Slavic goddess

Devana, Zevana, less often Zievonya is the goddess of wild nature, forests, hunting and the moon worshiped by the Western Slavs. In the sources, she was first mentioned in the 15th century by Jan Długosz, who compared her to the Roman goddess Diana. Dziewanna is also a Polish name for Verbascum, and the etymology of the word is unclear. After strong criticism from Aleksander Brückner, researchers rejected her authenticity, but nowadays it is accepted by an increasing number of researchers. Sometimes, in folk rituals, she performs together with Morana.

The following are lists of words in the English language that are known as "loanwords" or "borrowings," which are derived from other languages.

This is a list of etymological lists.

<i>*Dyēus</i> Sky-god in Proto-Indo-European mythology

*Dyḗus, also *Dyḗus ph₂tḗr, is the reconstructed name of the daylight-sky god in Proto-Indo-European mythology. *Dyēus was conceived as a divine personification of the bright sky of the day and the seat of the gods, the *deywṓs. Associated with the vast diurnal sky and with the fertile rains, *Dyēus was often paired with *Dʰéǵʰōm, the Earth Mother, in a relationship of union and contrast.

*Perkʷūnos is the reconstructed name of the weather god in Proto-Indo-European mythology. The deity was connected with fructifying rains, and his name was probably invoked in times of drought. In a widespread Indo-European myth, the thunder-deity fights a multi-headed water-serpent during an epic battle in order to release torrents of water that had previously been pent up. The name of his weapon, *ml̥dʰnis, which denoted both "lightning" and "hammer", can be reconstructed from the attested traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic toponymy</span> Etymology of placenames derived from Celtic languages

Celtic toponymy is the study of place names wholly or partially of Celtic origin. These names are found throughout continental Europe, Britain, Ireland, Anatolia and, latterly, through various other parts of the globe not originally occupied by Celts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford (crossing)</span> Shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading

A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading, or inside a vehicle getting its wheels wet. A ford may occur naturally or be constructed. Fords may be impassable during high water. A low-water crossing is a low bridge that allows crossing over a river or stream when water is low but may be treated as a ford when the river is high and water covers the crossing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish toponymy</span>

Scottish toponymy derives from the languages of Scotland. The toponymy varies in each region, reflecting the linguistic history of each part of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish island names</span>

The modern names of Scottish islands stem from two main influences. There are many names that derive from the Scottish Gaelic language in the Hebrides and Firth of Clyde. In the Northern Isles most place names have a Norse origin. There are also some island place names that originate from three other influences, including a limited number that are essentially English language names, a few that are of Brittonic origin and some of an unknown origin that may represent a pre-Celtic language. These islands have all been occupied by the speakers of at least three and in many cases four or more languages since the Iron Age, and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result.

References

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  2. Antarctic Explorers
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  4. Murray River#Exploration
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  9. A. H. McLintock (1966). "Waikato River" . Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  10. "The Waikato: A History of New Zealand's Greatest River". Stuff.co.nz.
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  12. Online Etymology Dictionary
  13. Beck, Noémie (2009). "Irish River-Goddesses: Drowning and Wisdom". Goddesses in Celtic Religion. Université Lumière Lyon 2. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  14. Hill, Jack A. (3 January 2017). Adam Ferguson and Ethical Integrity: The Man and His Prescriptions for the Moral Life. Lexington Books. ISBN   9781498504584.
  15. Svenskt ortnamnslexikon ("Swedish Place-Name Dictionary"), 2003, pp. 322.
  16. 1 2 Volga river#Nomenclature
  17. Room, Adrian (2006). Placenames of the World. McFarland
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  20. Bright (2004:89)
  21. "Captain Robert Gray explores Grays Bay and charts the mouth of Grays River in May 1792". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  22. "Delaware". Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved 1 September 2007.
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  24. Bright (2004:174)
  25. Bright (2004:290)
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  27. Koontz, John. "Etymology". Siouan Languages. Retrieved 28 November 2006.
  28. Bright (2004:396)
  29. "Snake River (Hells Canyon)". National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  30. Bright (2004:466)
  31. Kelton, Dwight H. (1888). Indian Names of Places Near the Great Lakes. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press Printing Company
  32. Bright (2004:488)
  33. Bright (2004:537)
  34. Bright (2004:583)
  35. Amazon River
  36. Amazon Rainforest#Etymology
  37. Orinoco#Etymology
  38. Places to visit in Paraguay when visiting Iguassu Falls Archived 12 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography