The Quair Water is a tributary of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Its name is related to Traquair.

Etymology

The name Quair has a Brittonic etymology.[1] It may be derived from the element *wejr (<*wẹ:drā)[1] meaning "a bend, something curved or twisted" (c.f. Middle Welsh gweir, Welsh gwair, gwŷr; in compounds).[1] The name could also descend from *wẹ:Σ- or *wiΣ, both forms of the root *wei which has a basic sense of "flowing",[1] with the suffix –urā-.[1]

Quair may share an etymology with the rivers Wear and Wyre in Northern England,[1] as well as the river-names preserved in place-names like Troqueer in Kirkcudbrightshire.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 James, Alan G. "A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence - Guide to the Elements" (PDF). Scottish Place Name Society - The Brittonic Language in the Old North. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

55°36′N 3°04′W / 55.600°N 3.067°W / 55.600; -3.067


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