Scottish Placenames - Derivation
| Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:43 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
Not a precise art by any means, but there are many common themes as to how Scottish placenames have evolved. They come from a variety of languages and geographical locations, old and new, and the derivation of many placenames is still quite academic guesswork. ABER (Brittonic, Pictish) - river mouth or a confluence.      Aberdeen, mouth of the River Don Aberdour (Fife), River mouth - of the waters (Dobhar - Gaelic) Aberfeldy, River mouth of Paldoc (phellaidh - Old Gaelic), 5th Century Christian missionary to Pictland Aberlour, loud confluence (labhar - Gaelic) Abernethy, mouth of the bright river (?nedd, nido - Brittonic, gleaming?) INVER (Scottish gaelic inbhir) - river mouth or confluence      Inverness, mouth of the River Ness (Nis - pre-Celtic) Inverurie, confluence of the Urie (Scottish Gaelic river name) Inverbervie, mouth of the Bervie Water (?like Welsh berw, boiling/seething?) Inveraray, mouth of the River Aray (?pre-Celtic river name, smooth running?) Innerleithen, confluence of the River Leithen (Scots Gaelic - leathann, broad) MOUTH (English) - river mouth      Eyemouth, mouth of the Eye Water (Old English - ea, river) Lossiemouth, mouth of the River Lossie (?Ptolemy map - Greek loxos, crooked river? - or ?Gaelic - lus, herbs, plants?) Grangemouth - mouth of the Grange Burn (English) Burnmouth - mouth of the burn, (Scots - burn, stream) Taymouth - mouth of the Tay (modern English - contrived name applied to castle and area of Kenmore where River Tay leaves from Loch Tay) |
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| Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:48 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
CLACH (Scottish Gaelic) - stone     Clackmannan - Mannan's stone Clachnaben - stone on the mountain (Scots Gaelic, beinn) Clickhimin - "rock mouth" (Old Norse klakk - rock - and minni - mouth) Clachnaharry - ?watchman's stone? Cloch - by the stone (1600 Clochstane name for Cloch Point) |
| Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:13 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
EY (Old Norse) - island     Bressay - Brjost (breast-shaped Ward Hill) island Shapinsay - Hjalpand's island Eriskay - Eric's island Colonsay - ?St Columba's? or Kolbein's island Islay - ?Ile's? island |
| Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:17 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
INCH (Scottish Gaelic, innse) - island     Markinch - Marc innis/innse (horse island), said to be an island in a lake existing in 1200 Inchcolm - St Columba's island Inchinnan - St Finnan's island Inchmahome - St Colman's island South Inch - southern island [formerly in the Tay] |
| Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:50 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
EILEAN (Scottish Gaelic) - island     Ellon - Island [in the River Ythan] - 1200, Book of Deer, named Eilan Elie - ?island?, Elie harbour area was an island till 1800-ish Loch-an-Eilein - loch island Eilean Donan - Donan's island Eilean a' Cheo - the misty island - romantic administrative name recently adopted for Skye |
| Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:27 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
DUN (Scottish Gaelic) - fort     Dundee - Daig's fort Duns - fortified hill Doune - castle, fortified place Dumbarton - fort of the Britons (Breatainn, Scottish Gaelic) Dumfries - fort in the woodland (phris, Scottish Gaelic) |
| Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:17 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
PIT (Brittonic - Pictish, sometimes PETT) - bit of land     Pittodrie - land by the wood (fhodraidh, Scottish Gaelic) Pitfour - land by the pasture (phuir, Scottish Gaelic) Pitsligo - shelly (sligeach, Scottish Gaelic) piece of land Pittencrieff - land by the tree(s) (chraoibhe, Scottish Gaelic) Pitlochry - land by the stones (cloichreach, Scottish Gaelic) |
| Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:49 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
BAL (Baile, Scottish Gaelic) - homestead, settlement     Balmoral - ?majestic (morail, Scottish Gaelic) settlement; ??in big clearing (mor ial)?? Balquhidder - settlement of fodder (foidir, Scottish Gaelic; fothr, Old Norse) Balerno - sloe tree (airneach, Scottish Gaelic) village Ballantrae - homestead on the shore (an traighe, Scottish Gaelic) Ballater - ?broomy (bealaidh, Scottish Gaelic) land?; ??or watery pass(dobhar, Brittonic-Gaelic)?? |
| Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:01 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
CILL (Scottish Gaelic) - church     Killin - white church (fionn, Scottish Gaelic) Kilbride - St Bride's church Kilconquhar - Conchubair's church Kilcreggan - church on the little crag (creag, Scottish Gaelic) Kilmore - great (mor, Scottish Gaelic) church |
| Sun, 1 Mar 2009 20:58 Grumpian Aul' Mannie |
KIRK (Scots from Old Norse kirkja or Old English cirice)     Kirkcudbright - St Cuthbert's church Kirkwall - church on the bay (vagr, Old Norse) Muirkirk - church on the moor Kirkconnel - Connal's church Laurencekirk - St Laurence's church |
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