An introduction to place-names and their study

 

Apamapa

 

The list of elements of place-names given here was drawn up to include all place-names on the parts of the O.S. Landranger maps (sheets 19, 20 and parts of 24 and 25) covering the Munros of Northern Ross-shire, i.e.  An Teallach and the ‘Fisherfield Six’, Slioch and the Torridon Hills, Beinn Dearg and surrounding hills, the Fannich Hills, Ben Wyvis. It is being extended to include elements appearing on other parts of these maps and, in particular, the area around Gairloch. Additions to the list since it was published in print are included in red.

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

Dedication

 

This work is dedicated to the memory of Roy Wentworth who died in October 2003. He provided inspiration and guidance and was of great help in compiling this work. His expertise is badly missed.

 

© Nevis Hulme, 1st edition 2004

(published on-line with corrections, 2007, tabulated and developed 2010)

 

This document may be printed for personal study so long as it is not redistributed or used for profit.

As detailed elsewhere on this website, a pack is available including a booklet of these notes and maps of the areas listed above.

 

E-mail

 

at

 

dot

 

 

nevis

 

live

 

ie

Nevis Hulme, 6 Allt Grìsean, Geàrrloch,

Siorrachd Rois, IV21 2DZ  

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2010

 

Contents

 

A. An introduction to place-names and their study

The accuracy of place-names on O.S. maps

Accuracy of information

A note on using Gaelic place-names

B. Pronunciation

A guide to pronunciation of Gaelic place-names

The IPA and the imitated system

C. The definite article

D. Place-name elements (Ross and Cromarty)

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

 

 

A. An introduction to place-names and their study          

 

A recurrent problem for the majority of people who regularly use maps in their activities is that the bulk of the place-names in the Highlands of Scotland is in Gaelic. While various guides are available to assist with the meanings of these (though often these are simply copied from inaccurate sources) and some give help in the pronunciation, there is no source combining these in a readily accessible form. The maps included with this booklet have been produced to meet such a need. It is hoped that they will lead to greater accuracy of pronunciation than is commonly heard, promote the use of the Gaelic language and help to preserve the cultural heritage of the Highlands.

 

It should be noted that the pronunciations given on the maps are, where possible, those used in speech by local native speakers of Gaelic within the limitation of the system used. This means that the pronunciation is often at variance with the name given on the map. A common reason for this is the addition of the definite article which the O.S. usually omits at the start of the name. A further reason is that the locally used name does not coincide with that given on the map (see below for a discussion on this). Local pronunciation may also cause a variation from that expected, e.g. because ‘n’ in the article ‘an’ is omitted before l, n, r, s and some words beginning with f. Another reason is that the undefined final vowel sound is often dropped at the end of words, as in ‘muice’, for example.

 

The accuracy of place-names on O.S. maps

 

(* before place-names in this section is used to show incorrect forms)

 

It is probable that few users of maps consider that their content is anything but true and accurate. The reality, though, is quite the opposite. In the 1870s, what is now the Ordnance Survey (O.S.) carried out its first detailed mapping of the Highlands. At this time (and until quite recently), the O.S. was a part of the military establishment and it employed sappers to gather place-names as well as to carry out the surveying . These sappers were not, or not necessarily, Gaelic speakers and depended on local ‘experts’ to give them the written forms and meanings of the names. These ‘experts’ were possibly school teachers or others able to write Gaelic who may or may not have had close ties with the area in question.

 

Sometimes these people who gave the names were the estate owners or people whose residence was distant from the area in question; their knowledge of the land and its names was not always as reliable as those of the crofter or farmer who worked the land. In some cases, names were possibly made up to keep the men from the O.S. happy. A modern example of this is Lochan Uaine, Beinn Eighe (1:25 000, Outdoor Leisure Map 8, NG9660). It is not named on maps before the 1960s and was invented by a manager of the nature reserve.

 

Sometimes the information gathered was wrongly recorded. ‘*Port an Amaill’ (Landranger, sheet 19, NG7492) is shown to the north of the lighthouse at Rubha Rèidh. Older, long-standing residents of the area know this name to indicate a landing place immediately to the south of the lighthouse. This error possibly arose as a result of misplacing another feature to the south of here (*Sròn na h-Airde Fholaich, Explorer 434, NG7391) some 400 metres too far to the north; Port nan Amall (as it should be) was in consequence shifted in its relative location.  

 

On other occasions, errors arose because those making the enquiries did not understand what was being said or, perhaps, heard what they wished to hear. On the O.S. map (Landranger, sheet 19, NG8073) the name, ‘*Ard Ialltaig’ is shown. This name would suggest the meaning ‘Bat Promontory’ yet this headland is adjacent to Shieldaig, Loch Gairloch, which, when combined with ‘Àird’ would give ‘Àird Shìldeag’ which is very close in pronunciation to the name on the map. Whether this is coincidence cannot be proven since the name is not known today. The name ‘A’ Chreag Mhòr’(the big rock) is used to refer to it by the few Gaelic speakers remaining in the area. The word ‘Bidein’ is not used in Wester Ross but the name given for a summit of An Teallach contains it. This is an example of the O.S. standardising its usage. It may be confusing but the locally used ‘Spidean’ has been given since this is what is known to be the correct name of the top.

 

A further source of error came about when names were ‘corrected’ or copied incorrectly for later editions of the maps. It was very common for the O.S. map-makers to change names to fit what they believed must be correct in terms of any of spelling, meaning or position. An example of the incorrect copying is found near Inverasdale at the place shown as ‘*Creag Choic’ (Landranger, sheet 19, NG8085). This is shown on the original map as ‘*Creag Choie’ but the last letter was copied wrongly on to later maps probably because of the confusion caused by rock outcrop symbols. It is still known today as ‘A’ Chreag Chaoidh’ which is just a better spelling of the original collected.

 

When the O.S. started representing place-names on its maps it was decided to omit the definite article at the start of most names which should have one. So, ‘*Beinn Bheag’, translating as ‘little mountain’ or ‘a little mountain’, is shown when it would be named ‘A’ Bheinn Bheag’, ‘the little mountain’, in Gaelic. In the following work, definite articles have been indicated on names that require them. This, however, has introduced added difficulties. Firstly, in some cases, it is difficult to tell if a place-name should have the definite article. This occurs where there is uncertainty over the meaning and it is not known whether the place-name includes a proper name. In this case the definite article would not be required. There is inconsistency with the definite article though. For example, ‘Beinn Eighe’, ‘file mountain’ is the correct name for that hill; one would expect the definite article before the name but it seems not to be used in this case. Secondly, the addition of the article often changes the sound of the first letter of the name. In the example above, using ‘*Beinn Bheag, the ‘b’ sound changes to ‘v’. A table has been supplied as an aid if users wish to give names as they would be used in Gaelic. It is hoped that the O.S. will rectify the omission of articles as it reviews place-names in line with a newly adopted policy on Gaelic place-names.

 

There is no doubt that, for place-names, the first edition of the O.S. map, available for study from libraries and on the internet (at www.old-maps.co.uk), is the best source of information. It is to the great credit of the researchers of the 19th century that so much of what was recorded is accurate. Anyone who has tried to pinpoint the location of a name for a moorland area given by an informant will appreciate the achievement.

 

Accuracy of information

 

Reference has been made to reliable sources both published and personal contact. Of the latter, Roy Wentworth spent many years studying place-names in Wester Ross and provided much advice on the representation of the names given here. Where possible, local usage has been included even where this is markedly different from that given on other published maps. Reference is made to these variations above. Despite this, for many names, doubt will exist as to the correct form and pronunciation of place-names used by those who lived on the land for centuries. This is compounded by the difficulties caused by Gaelic dialect.  An attempt has been made to adopt that used in the area concerned but, for the reason given above, uncertainty must exist.

 

The author accepts responsibility for errors in this work and would gratefully receive comments from users (e-mail: nevis@macmail.com)

 

A note on using Gaelic place-names

 

The grammar of Gaelic is markedly different from that of English and causes many difficulties for the unwary. In English, descriptive words can be joined by using the phrase ‘of the’ as in ‘the loch of the hollow of the lochan.’ Any of the parts of this name could be used independently with no change in spelling. In Gaelic, however, the spelling of the word depends on how the word is used. For example, ‘hollow’ is ‘toll’ but, if used in the form ‘of the hollow’, becomes ‘a’ thuill’ unless it is followed by another word in the form ‘of the’ in which case it remains unchanged. So, ‘the loch of the hollow’ would be ‘Loch an Tuill’ but ‘the loch of the hollow of the lochan’ is ‘Loch Toll an Lochain’ where ‘lochan’ has changed to the form for ‘of the lochan.’ Clearly, this is not simple, nor is the explanation complete, but it does indicate the danger of taking a word from a place-name and using it in a different way.

 

For example, near Lochan na Bearta (Landranger, sheet 19, NG9980) climbers have named a crag ‘*Na Bearta Buttress’ after the nearby loch. ‘Na Bearta’ means ‘of the deed’ so the name translates as ‘Of the deed buttress’. This climbing area would have been better named ‘A’ Bheart Buttress’, meaning ‘The Deed Buttress’. Reference was often made to ‘*A’Ghlas Thuill’ for a corrie (Landranger, sheet 19, NH0784) on An Teallach. This has been taken from the name shown for the adjacent summit, ‘*Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill.’ This means ‘the peak of the grey hollow’ and so to use ‘*A’Ghlas Thuill’ alone means ‘Of the grey hollow.’ The correct Gaelic for the corrie is ‘An Glas Tholl’ as, more or less, appears on Landranger maps since 1997.

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

B. Pronunciation

 

This has been a major problem for those with a casual interest in Gaelic place-names as, at best, there was need to refer to a book to find a guide to pronunciation. The only entirely accurate method of representing this is using the International Phonetic Alphabet. This is, unfortunately, somewhat complicated and it is realised that most with an interest in being able to say place-names with a degree of accuracy are not prepared to go to the trouble of learning this system. For this reason, and to overcome inadequacies in other methods of pronunciation, a system of imitated pronunciation has been devised specifically for the purpose.

 

Careful reference to this imitated pronunciation is essential for reasonably accurate pronunciation. This system has been tested with a variety of British speakers of English but cannot be guaranteed to work with other speakers. A guide to phonetic equivalents is given for those with knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet.

 

It has been argued by some that attempting to pronounce place-names correctly may cause confusion especially where many have come to use a common form amongst a group, for example, a climbing club. This argument does not stand up since a new acquaintance may have a completely different pronunciation for the same place. It is entirely possible that ‘An Teallach’ could be called ‘antilock’ by someone with no knowledge of Gaelic. Variations of this type are to be heard from time to time, e.g. (these should be read as if English) ‘ben a clad hyme’ (Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh) or ‘skur rood’ (Sgùrr Ruadh).

 

It should be noted that, as stated earlier, the pronunciation given here is that which is or would have been used by a Gaelic speaker from Wester Ross. Unlike many other popular pronunciation guides, it is not based on Lewis, Skye or a standardised form of Gaelic but that used in the area of interest.

 

A guide to pronunciation of Gaelic place-names           [ note      ao    y   in particular ]

 

a. Vowels: short sounds       

 

= e in ‘butter’ or ‘paper’ (undefined vowel sound)

 

a = a in ‘cat’   A = a in ‘say’ ao = ea in ‘earn’ or eu in French ‘fleur’

           

e = e in ‘pet’    E = ee in ‘see’ i = i in ‘pit’     

 

o = o in ‘cot’   O = o in ‘comb’            ow = ow in ‘cow’       oo = oo in ‘toot’

           

b. Vowels: long sounds        

 

These are shown with the addition to the above of a colon. The sounds correspond to those above but the vowel sound is extended, e.g.           e: = eee in ‘atte-e-ention’. The following are long equivalents of the first group of sounds given above:

a:         A:        e:         ao:       E:         o:         O:        oo:      

           

c. Consonants

 

The first letter of the following words give the pronunciation for these letters:

     bat, dog, fat, gap, hat, map, not, pot, run, sad, top, van

 

l represents the l in ‘list’ and in ‘table’

 

ch = ch in ‘loch’          gh = equivalent of ch, but with a ‘g’instead of ‘c’

j = j in ‘judge’ k = c in ‘cat’   

sh = sh in ‘shut’           tj = tch in ‘catch’

y = y in 'yes', e.g. by = b in ‘beauty’ or ly = l in ‘lure’, similarly for f, g, k, m, v

           

d. Stress

 

This is shown using bold type. This generally falls on the first syllable of the word, e.g. ‘achadh’ pronounced achugh. The main stress generally falls on the first syllable of the last word of a place-name. Because of this, elements of a place-name preceding this are shortened in speech, so for example sròin, stro:n becomes stron in unstressed positions.

 

In general, only the main stress is shown and this generally occurs on the last word, e.g. ‘An Caisteal Mòr’, pronounced ‘n kashtl mO: r’. Secondary stress is shown in some cases.

 

e. Other

 

, (comma) is used to separate vowel sounds where necessary

 

f. Advanced (ignore until the basics have been mastered)

 

n = n in ‘onion’, like ny           k = k in ‘Kew’, like ky            l = l in ‘lure’

 

As with any system other than the International Phonetic Alphabet, this system only approximates Gaelic pronunciation. The quality of consonants in Gaelic does vary from English usage and certain distinctions within Gaelic are not realised in this system.

 

The IPA and the imitated system

 

(This is not included because of difficulties with typefaces.)

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

C. The definite article

 

As stated above, this has been added where the form of the place-name suggests that it should come before the name. The forms of the article are given below and from this, it is hoped, an understanding of the pronunciation may be developed. This is only a brief synopsis!

 

Nominative case (e.g. nouns in italics here: A’ Chreag Mhòr, An t-Allt Loch Ghiùthsachan)

 

 

Article

Nominative singular

 

Say

 

 

 

 

 

1. 

A’

before feminine nouns beginning with:

spelling changes to

 

 

 

B

A’ Bh . . .

v . . .

 

 

C

A’ Ch . . .

ch . . .

 

 

G

A’ Gh . . .

gh . . .

 

 

M

A’ Mh . . .

v . . .

 

 

P

A’ Ph . . .

f . . .

 

 

 

 

2a.

An t-

before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel

n t

  b.

An t-

before feminine nouns beginning with S + vowel, Sl, Sn or Sr        

(sound of S lost)

n t

3a.

Am

before masculine nouns beginning with B, M, P

m

  b.

Am

before masculine nouns beginning with F,

e.g. Fuaran, fooran becomes Am Fuaran, fooran

(compare with feminine F below; this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

4a.

An

before nouns beginning with L, N, R and S

(this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

  b.

An

before feminine nouns beginning with F,

e.g. Faoilin, faolEn becomes An Fhaoilinn, n aolEn (sound of F lost)

n

5.

An

before other letters

n

 

 

Nominative plural

 

6a.

Na

before plurals beginning with a consonant

n

  b.

Na h-

before plurals beginning with a vowel

n h

 

Genitive case (e.g. nouns in italics here: Coir’ a’ Bhristidh, Creag na Corcurach, Leac na Tuatha)

           

 

Article

Genitive singular

 

Say

 

 

 

 

 

7. 

A’

(cf. rule 1 above for feminine nominative nouns)

before masculine genitive beginning with:

spelling changes to

say

 

 

B

A’ Bh . . .

v . . .

 

 

C

A’ Ch . . .

ch . . .

 

 

G

A’ Gh . . .

gh . . .

 

 

M

A’ Mh . . .

v . . .

 

 

P

A’ Ph . . .

f . . .

 

 

 

 

 

8.

 An t-

before masculine genitive nouns beginning with S + vowel, Sl, Sn or Sr (cf. rule 2b. above)            (sound of S lost)

n t . . .

9a.

 An

before masculine genitive nouns beginning with a vowel

n

  b.

 An

before masculine genitive nouns beginning with F (cf. rule 4b. above) (sound of F lost)

n . . .

10a.

Na

before a consonant pronounced

n . . .

   b.

Na h-

before feminine genitive nouns beginning with a vowel

n h

 

 

Genitive plural

 

11.

Nam

those beginning with B, M, P

 

12a.

Nan

those beginning with L, N, R and S (this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

n

   b.

Nan

before all other plural nouns

nn

 

(In general, the dative case is not needed in the study of place-names.)

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

 

D. Place-name elements (Ross and Cromarty)

 

The list of elements of place-names given here was drawn up to include all place-names on the parts of the O.S. Landranger maps (sheets 19, 20 and parts of 24 and 25) covering the Munros of Northern Ross-shire, i.e.  An Teallach and the ‘Fisherfield Six’, Slioch and the Torridon Hills, Beinn Dearg and surrounding hills, the Fannich Hills, Ben Wyvis.

 

It is being extended to include elements appearing on other parts of these maps and, in particular, the area around Gairloch.

Additions to the list since it was published in print are included in red.

 

The following columns are used.

 

Gaelic

 

The Gaelic spelling of the word is given. Those names given in italic type are errors on at least one version of the O.S. map or less favoured spellings; references are given, where possible, to correct or preferred spellings

 

This list is in alphabetical order ignoring the definite article (a’, am, an, an t-, na, na h- and nan) on the left-hand side.           

 

Say

 

This gives the pronunciation as oultined on page 4.

 

Pronunciation may vary where words are in unstressed positions, e.g. while one may consider ‘An t-Sàil Mhòr’ to be said as ‘n ta:l vO:r’, it is actually pronounced ‘n tal vO:r’. ‘allt’ will only rarely appear in a stressed position in a place-name so will usually be pronounced ‘alt’. This applies to most generic elements (i.e. those which signify the main part of the name) but the stressed form is given for completeness. 

 

Unexpected vowel sounds may be encountered between words on the maps; these are used in Gaelic to allow sounds to flow just as is found within words, e.g. ‘dearg’ pronounced ‘jerek’. An example would be ‘Am Meall Mòr’ which is pronounced ‘ mEel mO:r

 

Meaning

           

The meanings given refer to place-names and may be different from those used in everyday speech.

 

? means uncertainty in meaning. Where the meaning given by authorities is highly speculative, a meaning has not been included. Brackets following a question mark are used in meanings to indicate that a whole phrase is uncertain rather than a single word, e.g. ?(foolish woman)

 

The case of each element (nominative or genitive) appears as it is used on the maps. The genitive case of nouns is indicated by ‘of the’ or ‘(of)’ in the ‘meaning’ column.

 

For adjectives, the following is shown in brackets after meanings to indicate case, gender and number:

 

g

genitive case

(e.g. in ‘of the green hill’, green is in the genitive case)

n

nominative case

(e.g. in ‘the green hill’, green is in the nominative case)

f

feminine

(all nouns in Gaelic are either feminine or masculine and adjectives change to match this)

m

masculine

 

s

singular

 

p

plural

 

           

Comments

 

This includes any additonal points relevant to the word, its pronunciation or meaning.

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

A

 

Gaelic

Say

Meaning

Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

abhainn

owEn

river

 

 

acha’

ach

hill-field

see ‘achadh’

 

achadh

achgh   

hill-field

‘achk’ or ‘ach unstressed

an

achaidh

nachE   

of the hill-field

 

 

achd

achk

hill-field

see ‘achadh’

 

achlais

achlash

hollow

(armpit)

na h-

achlaise

n hachlash

of the hollow

 

an

aghaidh

n ghE

the face

 

na h-

aghaidh

n hghE

of the face

 

na h-

aibhne

n haEn

of the river

 

 

Àiliginn

a:lEgin

?

 

 

àinich

a:nEch

of ?panting

(assumes accent on ‘a’)

 

àird 

a:rt

promontory

 

 

àird easaidh

art esE

promontory of the (water)fall stream

 

na h-

airbhe

n hara

of the wall

 

an t-

aircill

an terkyEl

the ?(hiding place)

 

 

àirigh 

a:rE

shieling

‘arE’ unstressed

(an t-)

allt 

(n t)owlt

(the) burn

‘alt’ unstressed

nan

allt

nn owlt

of the burns

 

 

alltan

owltan

wee burn

‘altan’ unstressed

 

Antonaidh

antonE

Antony

 

 

àth

a:

ford

‘a’ unstressed

 

àthann

a:han

kiln

 

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

           

B

 

Gaelic

Say

Meaning

Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

bad

bat

clump

 

 

badan

batan

wee clump

 

 

badhaisbheinn

baoshvn

mountain of the ?hunt

 

 

baile

bal

township

 

 

bàine

ba:n

fair (gfs)

 

a’

bhàird

va:rd

of the bard (poet)

 

am

bàgh

m ba:gh

the bay

 

a’

bhàigh

va:E

of the bay

 

 

bàn

ba:n

fair (nms)

 

na

bana-mhorair

n ban vorr

of the lady

 

am

beacan

m behkan

the wee point

 

 

beag

bAk

wee (nms)

 

 

beaga

bAk

wee (p)

 

am

bealach

m byaloch

the pass

 

na

bearta

n byarsht

of the deed

said as ‘na Beart’

 

beinn

bEn

mountain

English ‘ben’

na

beinne

n bEny

of the mountain

 

na

bèiste

n bAshtj

of the beast

 

 

beithe

bAh

(of) birch

 

a’ . . .

bhaid

. . . vatj

of the . . . clump

 

an . . .

bhaile

n . . . val

of the . . . township  

but . . . before ‘seana’ in ‘An Seana Bhaile’

 

bhàin

va:n

fair (gms)

 

a’

bhainne

vany

of the milk

 

a’

bhàird

va:rt

of the bard (poet)

 

 

bhanbhaig

vanavAk

wee pig-like burn

 

a’

bharranaich

varanEch

of the sedge

 

 

Bhàtair

va:htr

Walter’s

 

a’

bhàthaich

va:Ech

of the byre

 

 

bheag

vAk

wee (nfs)

 

a’

bhealaich

vyalEch

of the pass

 

 

bheinn

vEn

mountain

‘vn’ unstressed

a’

bheucaich

vEahkEch

the bellowing

 

 

bhig

vEk

wee (gms)

 

a’

bhinnein

vEnyn

of the pinnacle

 

a’

bhodaich

votEch

of the old man

 

a’

bhràghad

vra:t

of the upland

 

an . . .

bhràigh

n . . . vraE

the . . . upland

but . . . before ‘seana’ in ‘An Seana Bhràigh’

 

 

 

 

 

a’

bhràighe

vra:E

of the upland

 

 

bhraoin

vraon

 (of) damp place

 

a’

bhreabadair

vrebtar

of the weaver

 

 

bhreac

vrehk

speckled (nfs)

vrEhk’ locally

a’

bhric

vrEhk

of the trout

 

a’

bhrisdidh

‘bhristidh’ preferred, q.v.

 

 

a’

bhristidh

vrEshtjE

of the breach

 

a’

bhrisidh

‘bhristidh’ preferred, q.v.

 

 

 

bhriste

vrEshtj

broken (nfs)

 

 

bhuidhe

vooE

yellow (nfs)

 

a’

bhùtha

voo:

of the green patch (by a river) 

 

nam

biast

nm bEst

of the beasts

 

 

bidein

 

 

 see ‘spidean’ and ‘spiodan’(‘bidein’ not used in W. Ross)

 

bige

bEk

wee (gfs)

 

 

biorach

bEroch

sharp (nms)

 

am

blàr

bla:r

the peat moss

 

am

bodach

botoch

the old man

 

nam

bradan

leathan

nm bratan lyehn

of the ?turbots

na

bradhan

n bra:n

of the ?quern or error for ‘nam bradhan’

 

nam

bradhan

nm bra:n

of the ?querns

 

am

bràigh’

m bra:E

the upland

before a vowel

am

bràighe

m bra:E

the upland

 

 

breabaig

brApak

?kicking

 

 

breac

brAhk

speckled (nms)

 

 

brice

brEhk

speckled (gfs)

 

 

brisdeadh

 

 

‘bristeadh’ preferred, q.v.

am

briseadh

 

 

‘bristeadh’ preferred, q.v.

am

bristeadh

m brEshtjgh

the breach

 

 

briste

brEshtj

broken (nms)

 

 

bruthach

broooch

brae

variation of ‘bruthaich’

 

bruthaich 

brooEch

brae

variation of ‘bruthach’

 

buaile 

bool

the (cattle) fold

 

nam

buailtean

nm booaltjn

of the (cattle) folds

 

 

buidhe

booE

yellow (nms)

 

 

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names, Nevis Hulme, 2010

Link to list of elements: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   I   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   Contents Home 

 

 

C

 

Gaelic

Say

Meaning

Comments

 

 

 

 

 

an

cabar

n kapr

the height

 

nan

cabar

nn kapr

of the heights

 

na

cabhaig

n kavak

of the hurrying

water agitated by wind across a loch

 

cachaileath

kachla

gateway

 

an

cadha

n ka,a

the rough path

or the pass

‘ka’ unstressed

na

cadhachan

n ka,ochn

the passes

 

nan

cadhaichean

nn kaEchn

of the passes

 

 

càil

ka:l

?

 

na

caillich

n kalyEch

of the old woman

 

nan

càiseachan

nn ka:shochn

of the place of cheeses 

 

an

caisteal

n kashtl

the castle

 

 

caime

kaEm

crooked or hidden or one-eyed (gfs)

 

 

cam

kowm

crooked or hidden or one-eyed

 

an

camas

n kamas

the bay

 

 

camas

kamas

?(crooked burn)

usually, ‘bay’ but not in

 

 

NH1363

 

 

na

canaich

n kanEch

of the bog cotton

a plant

 

caochan

kaochan

wee burn

 

 

caol

kaol

narrow (nms)

 

 

caolas

kaols

narrows

 

 

caolaisidh

kaolEshE

the narrows

 

nan

caorach

nn kaoroch

of the sheep

 

an

càrn

n ka:rn

the cairn (natural or built)  ‘karn’ unstressed

 

an

càrnan

ka:rnan

the wee cairn

‘karnan’ unstressed

 

cathair

kahr

fairy knoll

 

na

cathrach

n karoch

of the fairy knoll

 

an

ceann

n kyown

the end or the head

‘kyan’ or ‘kyow’ unstressed

nan

ceann

nn kyown

of the heads

 

nan

ceapraichean

nn keprEchn

of the stubby hillocks

 

nan

cearca-fraoich

n gyerk fraoEch

of the red grouse

 

 

ceàrd

kya:rt

tinker

 

a’

chadail

chatl

of the sleeping

 

a’

chadh’

cha

of the rough path

before a vowel

a’

chadha

cha,a

of the rough path

cha’ unstressed

a’

chailleach

chalyoch

the old woman

 

a’

chaillich

 

 

grammatical error; see ‘caillich’

 

chaim

chaEm

crooked or hidden or one-eyed (gms)

 

a’

chàisgean

cha:shkan

of the Cashken

  chashkan’ unstressed

 

chaol

chaol

narrow (nfs)

 

a’

chaorainn

chaorn

of the rowan

 

a’

chaorrainn

 

 

‘chaorainn’ preferred, q.v.

a’

chaorruinn

 

 

‘chaorainn’ preferred, q.v.

 

chaorachain

chaorochan

of the place of the mountain torrents 

 

 

chàrnaich

cha:rnEch

(of) stony place

 

 

cheann

chyown

head

 

a’

chearcaill

chyerkl

of the circle

 

 

cheiridh

cherE

?

 

 

cheud

chEt

hundred

 

a’

chinn

chEn

of the end or head

 

a’

chìoch

chEch

the breast

 

a’

chlaidheimh

chlaE

of the sword

 

a’

chlaiginn

chlakEn

of the skull or best land

 

a’

chliabhain

chlEva