Part 4

a height, or, as an adjective, high; _e.g._ the Aird (the height) on the south coast of the island of Lewis, also in Inverness-shire; Aird Point in the island of Skye; Aird-dhu (the black height), a hill in Inverness-shire; the Airds (high lands in Argyleshire); Airdrie, Gael. _Aird_-righ (the king’s height), or, perhaps, _Aird-reidh_ (the smooth height); Aird’s Moss (a muirland tract in Ayrshire); Ardbane (white height); Ardoch (high field); Ardclach (high stony ground); Ardach and Ardaghy (high field); Ardmore (great height); Ardeen and Arden (the little height); Ardglass (green height); Ardfert (the height of the grave or ditch, Irish _fert_); Ardrishaig (the height full of briers, _driseach_); Ardnamurchan (the height of the great headland, _ceann_, or of the great ocean, _cuan_); Ardgower (goat’s height); Ardtornish (the height of the cascade, _cas_ and _torr_); Ardross (high point); Ardrossan (little high point); Ardchattan (St. Cathan’s height); Ardersier, Gael. _Ard-ros-siar_ (the high western height); Ardlui (the height of the fawn, _laoidh_); Ardentinny (of the fire, _teine_); Ardboe (of the cow); Ardbraccan (of St. Brachan); Ardfinan (St. Finan’s height); Armagh, in Ireland, anc. _Ardmacha_ (the height of Macha, the wife of one of the early Irish colonists); Arroquhar, in Dumbarton, _i.e._ Ardthir (the high land); Ardmeanach (the mossy height or the black isle); Ardgask (the hero’s height, Gael. _gaisgeach_, a hero); Ardnacrushy (of the cross); Ardtrea (St. Trea’s height); Ardnarea, _i.e._ _Ard-na-riaghadh_ (the height of the executions, with reference to a dark tale of treachery and murder); Ardgay (windy height); Ardblair (high field); Ardwick (high town, a suburb of Manchester). The Lat. root _arduus_ (high) is found in Ardea, in Italy; the Ardes (or heights), in Auvergne; Auvergne itself has been traced to _Ar-fearann_ (high lands), but Cocheris, _Au Noms de Lieu_, gives its ancient name as _Alverniacus_ (_i.e._ the domain of the _Auvergni_). Ardennes, Forest of (high-wooded valleys); Ardwick-le-street (the high town on the great Roman road), _stratum_. _Ard_, _art_, and _artha_ are also Persian prefixes attached to the names of places and persons; _e.g._ Ardboodha (the high place of Buddha); Aravalli (the hill of strength); and such personal names as Artaxerxes, Artabanes, Artamenes. In some cases it may refer to the agricultural habits of the Indo-Germanic races (Lat. _aro_, Grk. αροω, Goth. _arjan_, Old High Ger. _aran_, Cel. _ar_ (to plough), hence the Aryan tribes are those belonging to the dominant race--the aristocracy of landowners, as distinguished from the subject races--_v._ Taylor’s _Names of Places_.

[Sidenote: ARN, ERN (Teut.), ARNE, ARA (Lat.), a home, AREA, _bas_ (Lat.), AIRE (Fr.), AROS (Cel.),]

a place, farm, dwelling; _e.g._ Heddern (hiding-place); Beddern (sleeping-place); Suthern (south place); Arne, a town in Yorkshire; Chiltern (chalk place); Whithorn, in Wigton, A.S. _Whitern_, Lat. _Candida-casa_ (white house); Asperne (the place of poplar-trees); Femern (of cattle); Domern (of judgment); Thalern (valley dwelling); Mauthern (toll place); Bevern and Bevergern (the dwelling on the R. Bever); Aire, Lat. _Area-Atrebatum_ (the dwelling of the Atrebates), on the Adour, in France; also Aire, on the Lys; Les Aires (the farms); Airon, etc., in France, Bavaria, Ger. _Baiern_ (the dwelling of the Boii); Aros, Gael. (the dwelling), in Mull; Arosaig (corner dwelling), Argyle.

[Sidenote: ARN (Old Ger.), ARI (Norse), ERYR (Welsh),]

an eagle. This word is used in topography either with reference to the bird itself, or to a personal name derived from it; _e.g._ Arnfels (eagle’s rock); Arnberg, Arnstein, Arlberg (eagle mountain or rock); Arisdale (eagle valley, or the valley of a person called Arix); Arnau (eagle meadow); Arnecke (eagle corner); Arendal (eagle valley); Arenoe (eagle island); Eryri (the eagle mountain), the Welsh name for Snowdon.

[Sidenote: ARX (Lat.),]

a fortress; _e.g._ Arcé, anc. _Arx_, a town in Italy with a hill fortress called _Rocca d’Arcé_ (the rock of the fortress); Arcis sur Aube (the fortress on the R. Aube), in France; Arcole and Arcola, in Lombardy and Sardinia; Saar-Louis, anc. _Arx-Ludovici-Sarum_ (the fortress of Louis on the Saar), founded by Louis XIV., 1680; Arx-fontana or Fuentes (the fortress of the fountain), in Spain; Monaco, anc. _Arx-Monæci_ (the fortress of the Monæci), on the Gulf of Genoa; Thours, anc. _Tuedæ-Arx_ (the fortress on the R. Thouet), in France.

[Sidenote: AS, or AAS (Scand.),]

a hill ridge; _e.g._ Astadr (ridge dwelling); As and Aas, the names of several towns in Sweden and Norway; Aswick, Aastrap, Aasthorp (the village or farm on the ridge) in Shetland.

[Sidenote: ASTA (Basque),]

a rock; _e.g._ Astorga, in Spain, Lat. _Asturica-Augusta_ (the great city on the rocky water, _ura_); Astiapa and Estepa (the dwelling at the foot of the rock), in Spain; Astulez and Astobeza, also in Spain; Asti, a district in Sardinia which was peopled by Iberians or Basques; Astura (the rocky river); Asturias (the country of the dwellers by that river); Ecija, in Spain, anc. _Astigi_ (on the rock); Estepa and Estepona (rocky ground).

[Sidenote: ATH, AGH (Gadhelic), AUGH,]

a ford. This root-word is more common in Ireland than in Scotland, and is cognate with the Lat. _vadum_, and the A.S. _wath_ or _wade_; _e.g._ Athy, _i.e._ _Ath-Ae_ (the ford of Ae, a Munster chief who was slain at the spot); Athmore (great ford); Athdare (the ford of oaks); Athenry (the king’s ford); Athlone, _i.e._ _Ath Luaen_ (the ford of St. Luan); Athleague (stony ford); Athane (little ford); Aghanloo (Lewy’s little ford); the town of Trim is in Irish _Athtruim_ (the ford of the elder trees); Agolagh, _i.e._ _Athgoblach_ (the forked ford); Aboyne (the ford of the river), on the Dee in Aberdeenshire; Athgoe, _i.e._ _Ath-goibhne_ (the ford of the smiths), in Dublin.

[Sidenote: ATHEL (A.S.), ADEL (Ger.), ADELIG (Gothic),]

noble, or the nobles; _e.g._ Adelsdorf, Adelsheim, Adelshofen, Attelbury (the nobles’ dwelling); Athelney (the island of the nobles), in Somersetshire, formerly insulated by the rivers Tone and Parret; Addelsfors (the nobles’ waterfall); Adelsberg (the nobles’ hill); Adelsclag (the nobles’ wood-clearing); Adelsoe (the nobles’ island); Adelmanns-felden (the nobleman’s field).

[Sidenote: AU, AUE (Ger.), AUGIA (Lat.),]

a meadow, formed from _aha_ (water), and frequently annexed to the name of a river; _e.g._ Aarau, Ilmenau, Rheinau, Wetterau, Oppenau, Muhrau (the meadow of the _Aar_, _Ilmen_, _Rhine_, _Wetter_, _Oppa_, _Muhr_); Frankenau (the Franks’ meadow); Lichtenau (the meadow of light); Reichenau (rich meadow); Schoenau (beautiful meadow); Greenau (green); Langenau (long); Weidenau (pasture-meadow); Rosenau (the meadow of roses); Lindau (of lime-trees); Herisau, Lat. _Augia-dominus_ (the Lord’s meadow); Eu, anc. _Augia_ (the meadow), in Normandy; Hanau (the enclosed meadow); Nassau (the moist meadow); Iglau (the meadow of the R. Igla, in Moravia); Troppau, in Silesia (the meadow of the R. Oppa).

[Sidenote: AUCHTER or OCHTER (Gadhelic), UCHDER (Welsh),]

the summit, or, as an adjective, upper; _e.g._ Auchtertyre, anc. _Auchterardower_ (the summit on the water); Auchterarder (the upper high land); Auchterblair (upper field); Auchtercairn (upper rock); Auchtermuchty (the upper dwelling, _tigh_, of the wild boar, _muc_); Auchterau (the upper water); Auchtertool (the upper land on the R. Tiel), in Fife; Auchterless (the upper side, _slios_). In Ireland this word takes the form of _Oughter_; _e.g._ Oughterard (upper height); Oughter-lough (upper lake, in reference to Loch Erne); Balloughter (upper town); Lissoughter (upper fort); Killoughter (upper church). The Irish adjective _uachdar_ is not unfrequently Anglicised _water_, as in Clowater in Carlow, _i.e._ _Cloch-uachdar_ (upper stone or castle); Watree, in Kilkenny, _i.e._ _Uachdaraighe_ (upper lands)--_v._ Joyce’s _Irish Names of Places_.

[Sidenote: AVON, AFON (Cym.-Cel.), ABHAIN, ABHUINNE (Gael.), AMNIS (Lat. Sansc. _ap._),]

water, a river; _e.g._ the Avon, Aven, Aune, Auney, Inney, Ewenny, Aney, Eveny, river names in England, Wales, and Ireland; Avengorm (red river); Aven-banna (white river); Avenbui (yellow river); Avonmore (great river), in Ireland; the Seine, anc. _Seimh-au_ (smooth river); the Mayenne or Meduana (probably the middle river, from Cel. _meadhou_). In France there are from this root--the Ain, Avenne, Vilaine, Vienne; the Abona, in Spain. In Scotland: the Almond or _Awmon_; Devon (deep river); Doon (dark river); Kelvin (woody river); Annan (quiet river); the Leith, Leithen, Lethen (the broad or the gray river); the Don, in Scotland and England (dark or brown river); Irvine and Earn (the west-flowing river); Anwoth, in Kirkcudbright, _i.e._ Avonwath (the course of the river); the Spey, _speach-abhain_ (swift river); the Allan (beauteous river, _aluinn_); the Boyne, anc. _Bouoninda_ (perhaps yellow river, _buidhe_). Many towns derive their names from their rivers, or from their vicinity to water: thus, Avignon and Verona (on the water); Amiens, the cap. of the _Ambiani_ (dwellers on the water, _i.e._ of the Samara or Somme). Teramo, anc. _Interamnia_ (between the rivers), and Terni, with the same meaning; Avenay, anc. _Avenacum_ (on the river); Avesnes, celebrated for its mineral springs. But such names as Avenay, Avennes, etc., may have been derived in many cases from Lat. _avena_, Fr. _avoine_ (oats)--_v._ Cocheris’s _Noms de Lieu_.

B

[Sidenote: BAAL,]

a prefix in Phœnician names, derived from the worship of the sun-god among that people; _e.g._ Baalath and Kirjath-Baal (the city of Baal); Baal-hazor (Baal’s village); BaalHermon (near Mount Hermon); Baal-Judah, etc., in Palestine. Sometimes, however, the word is used as synonymous with _beth_ (a dwelling), as Baal-tamar and Baal-Meon (for Bethtamar and Beth Meon). But Baal-Perazim, we are told, means the _place of breaches_, and has no reference to the sun-god, Baalbec (the city of the sun), in Syria.

[Sidenote: BAB (Ar.),]

a gate or court; Babel and Babylon, according to the Arabic (the gate of God), or from a word signifying confusion, Gen. xi. 9; Baab (the gate), a town in Syria; El-Baab (the gate), in the Sahara; Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of (the gate of tears), so called by the Arabs from its dangerous navigation; Bab-el-estrecho (the gate of the narrow passage), the Arabic name for the Strait of Gibraltar.

[Sidenote: BACH, BATCH (Teut.), BEC, BOEK (Scand.), but _bach_, by mutation _fach_ or _vach_, in Welsh names means small, little,]

a brook; _e.g._ Snail-batch and Caldbeck (cold brook or swift brook); _snell_ in A.S. and Old English means active, sharp, quick; and in Scotland, as applied to the weather, it means sharp or severely cold; Crumbeck (crooked brook); Lauterbach (clear brook); Skurbeck (dividing brook); Griesbach and Sandbach (sandy brook); Gronenbach (green brook); Over-beck (upper); Reichenbach (rich); Marbeck (boundary); Schoenbach (beautiful brook); Beckford (the brook ford); Bacheim and Beckum (the dwelling at the brook); Beckermet (the meeting of brooks); Bickerstith (the station at the brook); Laubach and Laybach (the warm brook); but Laubach may also mean rich in leaves--_v._ ACH. Bec in Normandy is named from a brook that flows into the Risle: Birkbeck in Westmoreland (the birch-tree brook); Ansbach or Anspach (at the stream in Bavaria); Schwalbach (the swallow’s brook), in Nassau; Houlbec, in Normandy, Holbeck, in Lincoln and in Denmark (the brook in the hollow); Fulbeck (Lincoln) and Foulbec, in Normandy (muddy brook).

[Sidenote: BAD (Teut.), BADD (Cym.-Cel.),]

a bath or mineral spring; _e.g._ Baden, anc. _Thermæ-Austricæ_ (the Austrian warm springs); Baden-Baden, anc. _Civitas Aquenses Aurelia_ (the watering-place of Aurelius); Baden-bei-Wien (the baths near Vienna); Baden-ober (the upper baths); Franzens-bad (the bath of the Franks); Carlsbad or Kaiser-bad (the bath-town of the Emperor Charles IV. of Bohemia); Marien-bad, Lat. _Balneum Mariæ_ (the bath-town of the Virgin Mary); Wiesbaden, anc. _Fontes-Mattiaci_ (the baths or springs of the _Mattiaci_, dwellers on the meadow)--_v._ WIESE; Badborn (bath well); Wildbad (wild bath, _i.e._ not prepared by art), in the Black Forest; Slangenbad (the bath of snakes), so called from the number of snakes found in the mineral springs; Badsdorf (bath village), Bohemia. The Celtic name of the English city _Bath_ was _Caer-badon_, or _Bathan-ceaster_ (bath city or fortress); the Anglo-Saxons made it _Akeman-ceaster_ (the sick man’s camp), or _Aquæ Sulis_ (dedicated to a British divinity, Sulis, identified with Minerva).

[Sidenote: BAGH (Ar. and Turc.),]

a garden; _e.g._ Bag, or Baug, in Hindostan. Bagdad superseded Seleucia, which, it is related, was reduced to such a state of ruin as to have nothing remaining on the spot where it stood formerly but the cell of the monk Dad; hence the name of the new city founded by the Caliph Almazar, A.D. 762. Baghdad, _i.e._ the garden of Dad, a monk who had his cell near the site of the city; Bala-Bagh (high garden), in Affghanistan; Karabagh (black garden), a district in Armenia, so called from its thick forests; Alum-bagh (the garden of the Lady Alum), in Hindostan; Baktschisarai (the palace of the garden), in Crimea.

[Sidenote: BAGNA (It.), BANO (Span.), BANHO (Port.), BAIN (Fr.),]

from the Lat. _balneum_ (a bath); _e.g._ Bagnacavallo (the horses’ bath); Bagna-di-aqua (water bath); Bagnazo, Bagnara, Bagnari, towns in Italy, celebrated for their baths. In France there are Bagnères-de-Bigorre (the baths of Bigorones, _i.e._ the dwellers between two heights); Bagnères-de-Luchon (the baths on the R. Luchon); Bains-les-du-mont-doré (the baths of the golden mount); with numerous names with similar meanings, such as Bagneux, Bagneaux, Bagnol, Bagnoles, Bagnolet, Bagnot, etc. In Italy: Bagnolina (the little bath); Bagni-di-Lucca, Bagni-di-Pisa (the baths of Lucca and Pisa).

[Sidenote: BAHIA (Port.),]

a bay; _e.g._ Bahia or St. Salvador (the town of the Holy Saviour), on the bay, in Brazil; Bahia-blanca (white bay); Bahia-hermosa (beautiful); Bahia-honda (deep); Bahia-negra (black); Bahia-neuva (new bay); Bahia-de-Neustra-Senora (the bay of Our Lady); Bahia-Escosesa (Scottish bay), in Hayti; Bayonna, in Spain, and Bayonne, in France (the good bay), from a Basque word, signifying _good_; Baia (the town on the bay), in Naples; Bahia-de-todos los Santos (All Saints’ Bay), in Brazil.

[Sidenote: BAHN (Ger.),]

a way or path; _e.g._ Winter-bahn (winter path); Langen-bahn (long path); Wild-bahn (wild or uncultivated path).

[Sidenote: BAHR, or BAHAR (Ar.),]

a sea, a lake, and sometimes a river; _e.g._ Bahar-el-Abiad (the white); Bahar-el-azrak (the blue river), forming together the Nile; Bahar-belame (waterless river), in Egypt; Baraach (the sea of wealth), in Hindostan; Bahari (the maritime district), Lower Egypt; Bahr-assal (salt lake), Africa; Bahrein (the two seas), a district in Arabia, between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea; also a group of islands on the same coast.

[Sidenote: BAILE, BALLY (Gadhelic),]

originally merely a place, a home, then a fort, a town, allied to the Grk. _polis._ The word joined with the article _an_ is found as _ballin_ for _baile-an_; _e.g._ Ballinrobe (the town of the R. Robe); Balbriggan (Brecon’s town); Ballintra and Ballintrae, in Ireland, and Ballantrae, in Scotland (the dwelling on the strand); Ballinure (the town of the yew); Ballintubbert (the town of the well); Ballinakill (of the church or wood); Ballinahinch (of the island); Ballinamona (of the bog), in Ireland; Ballycastle (castle town); Ballymena (middle town); Ballymony (of the shrubbery); Balmagowan and Ballingown (of the smiths); Ballymore and Ballmore (great town); Nohoval, corrupt. from _Nuachongbhail_ (new dwelling), localities in Ireland. In Scotland: Balvanie, anc. _Bal-Beni-mor_ (the dwelling of Beyne, the great first Bishop of Mortlach), in Aberdeenshire; Balmoral (the majestic dwelling, _morail_); Ballater (the dwelling on the hill-slope, _leitir_); Balmerino (on the sea-shore, _muir_); Balachulish, Gael. _Baile-na-caolish_ (the dwelling on the narrow strait); Baldernock, Gael. _Baile-dair-cnoc_ (the dwelling at the oak hill); Balnacraig (dwelling of the rock); Balfour (cold dwelling); Balgay (windy dwelling, _gaoth_, wind); Balfron (of mourning, _bhroin_), so called, according to tradition, because a number of children had been devoured by wolves at the place; Balgreen (the sunny place, _grianach_); Balgarvie (of the rough stream); Ballagan and Ballogie (the dwelling in the hollow); Balgownie and Balgonie (of the smiths); Balbardie (of the bard); Balmac Lellan (the dwelling of the Bal-MacLellan), in Kirkcudbright; Balmaghie (of the Maghies); Balquhidder (the town at the back of the country); Balblair (of the field or plain).

[Sidenote: BALA (Turc.),]

high; _e.g._ Bala-hissar (high castle); Bala-dagh (high mountain); Bala-Ghauts (the high Ghauts); Balasore (high dwelling); Balkan (high ridge), also called Mount Haemus (the snowy mount), _hima_ (Sansc.), snow; Balkh (high town), anc. Bactra.

[Sidenote: BALKEN (Ger.),]

a ridge; _e.g._ Griesen-balken (sandy ridge); Moes-balken (mossy ridge); Schieren-balken (clear ridge)--the word is applied to chains of mountains in general.

[Sidenote: BALTA (Scand.), BALTEUS (Lat.),]

a strait or belt; _e.g._ Balta (the island of the strait); Baltia (the country of belts or straits), the ancient name of Scandinavia. The Great and Little Belts, or straits.

[Sidenote: BAN (Gadhelic),]

white, fair; _e.g._ Rivers Bann, Bane, Bain, Bana, Banon, Bandon, Banney, etc.; Banchory (the fair valley).

[Sidenote: BAN (Cym.-Cel.),]

a hill or height; _e.g._ Cefn-y-fan (the hill-ridge); Tal-y-fan (the face of the hill), in Wales. _B_ by mutation becomes _f_.

[Sidenote: BANT, BANZ (Ger.), POINT and PAINT, _Ahd_,]

a district or enclosure, from Old Ger. _pyndan_ (to confine), cognate with Cym.-Cel. _pant_; _e.g._ Brabant, _i.e._ _Brach-bant_ (the ploughed district); Altenbanz (the old); Ostrevant (the eastern); Grunnenbant (the green district); Hasel-point (hazel field); Pound-stock (the enclosed place), in Germany; Drenthe, corrupt. from _Thri-banta_ (the three districts), in Holland; Bantz, in Bavaria. From _pant_ we have in Monmouth, Panteg (beautiful valley, _têg_); Pant-y-goitre (the valley of the town in the wood).

[Sidenote: BANYA (Hung.),]

a mine; _e.g._ Uj-banya (new mine); Nagy-banya (great mine), a town of Hungary with gold and silver mines, named by the Germans _Neustadt_; Abrud-banya (the mine on the R. Abrud, a district abounding in metals).

[Sidenote: BARR (Gadhelic), BAR (Cym.-Cel.), BARD (Scand.),]

a summit; _e.g._ Barmona (the summit or top of the bog); Barra-vore (great height, _mor_); Barmeen (smooth summit), in Ireland. In several counties in Scotland we have Barr (the uplands), but Barr in Ayrshire took its name from St. Barr; Barbreac (spotted point); Barrie and Barra (the head of the water, _abh_); Barcaldine (hazel point, _calltunn_); Barbeth (birch point); Barrglass (gray point); Bar-darroch (the summit of the oak grove); Bardearg (red point); Barcaple (the horses’ point); the Bard of Mousa and of Bressay, in the Shetlands, is the projection on these islands; the ancient name of the town of Perth was _Barr-Tatha_ (the height of the R. Tay); Barwyn for Bar-gwn (a white-topped mountain, or tipped with snow), in Wales. In France the prefix _bar_ is applied to strongholds, as in Bar-le-Duc (the duke’s citadel); Bar-sur Saone, Bar-sur Aube (the stronghold on the rivers Saone and Aube).

[Sidenote: BARROW (Scand.), BEORH (A.S.),]

a mound of earth, especially over a grave; _e.g._ Barrow-by (the dwelling at the mound); Ingle-barrow (the mound at the grave of Ingold). But, in some cases, barrow may be a form of A.S. _boerw_ (a grove), as in Barrow-den (the grove hollow), in Rutland.

[Sidenote: BAU (Ger.), GEBAUDE, BAÜEN, to build,]

a building; _e.g._ Brun-bau (the well-house); Neu-bau and Alten-bau (the old and new building); Buittle (the building), a parish on the Solway Firth; Tichel-boo (brick building); Forst-gebaude (the building in the forest). It takes the form of bottle and buttel in Germany, and battle in Britain--_v._ p. 27; Newbattle (new building in Mid Lothian); Wulfen-buttel (the dwelling of Ulpha); Bolton, in Lancashire, anc. _Botl_.

[Sidenote: BAUM (Ger.) BEAM (A.S.), BOOM (Dut.),]

a tree, a post; _e.g._ Baumburg (tree town); Baumgarten (the orchard); Baumgartenthal (orchard valley); Baum-krüg (the tree inn); Schöenbaum (beautiful tree); Heesbaum (the hazel-tree), in Germany; Bampton and Bempton (tree town), in Oxford and Yorkshire; but Bampton in Devon takes its name from the R. Bathom--its ancient name was _Bathom-ton_.

[Sidenote: BEDD (Welsh),]

a grave; _e.g._ Bedd-gelert (the grave of a favourite hound of Llewelyn, or, as others affirm, the grave of a saint named Kelert).

[Sidenote: BEDW (Cym.-Cel.), BEITH (Gadhelic), BEDWEN (Welsh),]

the birch-tree, cognate with the Lat. _betula_; _e.g._ Beddoe (the birches), Salop; Bedwelty, _i.e._ _Bedw-gwal-ty_ (the wild beast’s dwelling among the birches), in Monmouth; Penbedw (birch hill), Monmouth. In Ireland: Beagh, Beaghy, Behagh, Behy, _i.e._ (birch land); Kilbehey, _i.e._ _coill-beithne_ (birch wood); Behanagh (birch-producing river); Ballybay, _i.e._ _Bel-atha-beithe_ (the ford mouth of the birch); Aghaveagh (birch field). In Scotland: Beith and Beath, in Fife and Ayrshire; Dalbeath, Dalbeth, Dalbeathie (the birch field or valley); Barbeth (the summit of birches).

[Sidenote: BEEMD (Dutch),]

a meadow; _e.g._ Beemd and Beemte (on the meadow); Haagschbeemden (enclosed meadow); Beemster-polder (the meadow embankment).

[Sidenote: BEER, BIR (Heb. and Ar.),]

a well; _e.g._ Beer-sheba (the well of the oath); Beer-Elim (the well of heroes); Beer-lahai-roi (the well of the living sight); Beirout (the city of wells), in Palestine; Bir, a town of Asiatic Turkey.

[Sidenote: BEER, or BEAR (Teut.), BUR (A.S.), BYR (Old Ger.),]

a farm, cottage, or dwelling; _e.g._ Beer-Regis (the king’s farm); Beer-Alston (the dwelling of Alston); Beardon and Berewood (the dwelling on a hill and in a wood); Aylesbear (the dwelling of Aegle); Bühren, in Hanover and Switzerland; Beuren, in Swabia; Grasbeuren (grassy dwelling); Sandbuur (sandy dwelling); Erlesbura (dwelling among elms); Beerendrecht (the dwelling on the pasture); Nassenbeuren (damp dwelling); Blaubeuren (the blue dwelling); Benediktbeuren (the dwelling of the Benedictines).

[Sidenote: BEG, BEAG (Gadhelic), BACH, or BYCHAN, by mutation _fach_ or _fychan_ (Cym.-Cel.),]

little; _e.g._ Morbihan (the little sea), in Brittany; Taafe-fechan (the little River Taafe), in Wales. In Ireland: Castlebeg (little castle); Downkillybegs (the fortress of the little church); Bunbeg (small river mouth); Rathbeg (little fort).

[Sidenote: BEIM,]

a contraction of the Ger. _bei-dem_ (by the); _e.g._ Beimbach, Beimberg, Beimhofen (by the brook, the hill, the court).

[Sidenote: BEINN (Gadhelic), BEN,]

a mountain, cognate with the Cym.-Cel. _pen_; _e.g._ Beanach (a hilly place); Ben-more (great mountain); Ben-a-buird (table mountain); Ben-a-bhaird (the bard’s mountain); Benan, _i.e._ _Binnean_ (the peaked hill or pinnacle); Bencleuch (stony mountain); Ben-cruachan (the stack-shaped mountain, _cruach_); Bendearg (red mountain); Bendronach (the mountain with the hunch, _dronnag_); Bengloe (the mountain with the covering or veil, _gloth_); Benamore and Bannmore (the great peaks, _beanna_, peaks); Bennachie (the hill of the pap, at its summit, _ache_); Benavoir (the mountain of gold, _or_), in Jura; Benclibrig (the hill of the playing trout); Benloyal, _i.e_, _Ben-laoghal_ (the hill of the calves); Ben-na-cailleach (nun’s hill); Ben Lomond, named from Loch Lomond, _quod vide_; Benmacdhui, _i.e._ _Beinn-na-muc-dubh_ (the mountain of the black sow); Ben Nevis (the cloud-capped or snowy mountain); Benvenue (the little mountain), as compared with Benledi; Benwyvis (stupendous mountain, _uabhasach_); Benvrachie (spotted mountain); Benvoirlich (the mountain of the great loch). In Ireland: Benbo, _i.e._ Beannabo (the peaks of the cows); Dunmanway, in Cork, corrupt. from Dun-na-mbeann (the fortress of the pinnacles). In Ireland _ben_ is more generally applied to small steep hills than to mountains; _e.g._ Bengore (the peak of the goats, _gabhar_); Benburb, Lat. _pinna superba_ (proud peak), in Tyrone; the Twelve Pins, _i.e._ _bens_ or peaks, in Connemara; Banagh and Benagh (a place full of peaks); Bannaghbane and Bannaghroe (white and red hilly ground); Banaghar, King’s Co., and Bangor, Co. Down, anc. _Beannchar_ (the pointed hills or rocks); but Bangor, in Wales, signifies the high choir; Drumbanagh (the ridge of the peaks).

[Sidenote: BEL, BELLE, BEAU (Fr.), BELLO, BELLA (Port., Span., It.),]

beautiful, fine, from the Lat. _bellus_; _e.g._ Belchamp, Belcastro (beautiful field and camp); Belle-isle and Belile (beautiful island); Beaufort, Beaulieu, Beaumont, Beaumanoir (fine fort, place, mount, manor); Beaumaris (the fair marsh), so named in the reign of Edward I. Some think it may have been formerly _Bimaris_ (between two seas), a name applied by Horace to Corinth; Belvoir (beautiful to see), in Rutland; Bewley and Bewdley, corrupt. from Beaulieu; Beauley, a river and village in Inverness-shire, named from _Prioratus-de-bello-loco_ (the priory of the beautiful place), founded in 1230; Beachy Head, according to Camden, is the head of the beach, but Holland, who published _Camden’s Britannia_, says it was called Beaucliff, or, more probably, Beauchef (beautiful headland); Beaudesert (beautiful retreat); Belper, _i.e._ _Beau-repaire_ (with the same meaning), in Warwick and Derbyshire; Leighton-Buzzard, corrupt. of its ancient name _Legionbuhr_ (the fortress of the legion); Balaclava, corrupt. from its ancient name _Bella-chiava_ (the beautiful frontier town, _chiave_), founded by the Genoese.

[Sidenote: BEL, BIALA (Sclav.),]

white; _e.g._ Biela (white stream); Bela, Belaia (white place); Belowes and Belowiz (white village); _was_ or _wies_ (a town or village); Belgrade, Ger. _Weissenburg_ (white fortress); Bialgorod, Turc. _Akkermann_ (white castle); Belki or Bielki (a name applied in Russia to snow-capped mountains); Berat, in Albania, corrupt. from Belgrade (white fort).

[Sidenote: BEL, BEAL (Gadhelic),]