Etymological Addenda to Some Thoughts on Celtic Place-Names and a Gaulish Appellative

Several river names in Germany (e.g., Inn , in antiquity Aenus ) and Austria (e.g., Enns , in antiquity and the Middle Ages Anisa , Anisus ), but also in Lithuania (e.g. Anatà , Anýkšté ) and in Ukraine ( Onut ) were traditionally analyzed as continuing the ‘hydronymic root PIE * en ‐/* on ‐’. This root, however, is a ghost-root, even if it is reconstructed according to current conventions as PIE * h 1 en ( H )‐. The Central European names are most probably of Celtic origin and go back to PIE * pen ‐ ‘swamp, slowly flowing water’. It became obvious that another root might play a role in this context as well, namely PIE * h 2 en ‐ ‘to haul (water)’: This root might theoretically be the basis of all semantically fitting appellatives whose preform has an onset PCelt. * an ‐ (< PIE * h 2 en ‐), PGerm./PBalt./PSlav. * an ‐ (< PIE * h 2 en ‐/* h 2 on ‐) or PCelt. * on ‐ (< PIE * h 2 on ‐). This reconstruction would also work for names mentioned above, Germ. Enns / Anisa , Lith. Anatà , Anýkšté , Ukrain. Onut. And it might also explain Gaul. Anam ‘swamp’ and MIr. an f. ‘water, urine’.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Celtic Linguistics
Published
2026-01-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.16922/jcl.27.4
Primary Topic
Linguistics and language evolution
Type
article
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article

Etymological Addenda to Some Thoughts on Celtic Place-Names and a Gaulish Appellative

Harald Bichlmeier
Journal of Celtic Linguistics
Linguistics and language evolution
article

Etymological Addenda to Some Thoughts on Celtic Place-Names and a Gaulish Appellative

Harald Bichlmeier
article en

Abstract

Several river names in Germany (e.g., Inn , in antiquity Aenus ) and Austria (e.g., Enns , in antiquity and the Middle Ages Anisa , Anisus ), but also in Lithuania (e.g. Anatà , Anýkšté ) and in Ukraine ( Onut ) were traditionally analyzed as continuing the ‘hydronymic root PIE * en ‐/* on ‐’. This root, however, is a ghost-root, even if it is reconstructed according to current conventions as PIE * h 1 en ( H )‐. The Central European names are most probably of Celtic origin and go back to PIE * pen ‐ ‘swamp, slowly flowing water’. It became obvious that another root might play a role in this context as well, namely PIE * h 2 en ‐ ‘to haul (water)’: This root might theoretically be the basis of all semantically fitting appellatives whose preform has an onset PCelt. * an ‐ (< PIE * h 2 en ‐), PGerm./PBalt./PSlav. * an ‐ (< PIE * h 2 en ‐/* h 2 on ‐) or PCelt. * on ‐ (< PIE * h 2 on ‐). This reconstruction would also work for names mentioned above, Germ. Enns / Anisa , Lith. Anatà , Anýkšté , Ukrain. Onut. And it might also explain Gaul. Anam ‘swamp’ and MIr. an f. ‘water, urine’.

Journal of Celtic LinguisticsVol. 27(1)
Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 53%
Linguistics and language evolution
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Etymological Addenda to Some Thoughts on Celtic Place-Names and a Gaulish Appellative — Harald Bichlmeier · Journal of Celtic Linguistics (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS