The River-Names of Europe

A systematic survey of European river names that traces their origins to early Indo-European roots and argues that many preserve simple ancient words meaning water. It compares forms across Celtic, Germanic, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit cognates, analyses phonetic modifications and compound formations, and shows how successive languages often appended native words for river. Drawing on historical attestations and regional examples, the book uses comparative philology and toponymy to propose etymologies and to explain variation in river-name forms across Europe.