Rhine

See also: rhine

English

Etymology

From Middle English Rine, Ryne, from Old English Rīn (“the Rhine”), from Middle High German and Old High German Rīn, from Proto-West Germanic *Rīn, from Proto-Germanic *Rīnaz, from Gaulish Rēnos, from a Pre-Celtic or Proto-Celtic *rēnos; one of a class of river names built from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to move, flow, run”).[1]

Cognate with Old High German Rīn ("the Rhine"; > German Rhein), Old Norse Rín (“the Rhine”), Dutch Rijn (“the Rhine”). Related also to Latin rivus ("river"), in Celtic with an -n- suffix as in Old Irish rīan (“run”) (more at run).

The spelling with Rh- is due to the influence of Ancient Greek Ῥῆνος (Rhênos) (via French Rhin).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ɹaɪn/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪn

Proper noun

the Rhine

  1. A river in western Europe, that flows through Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France and the Netherlands, before emptying into the North Sea.

Derived terms

Translations

References
  1. Pokorny, Julius (1959) chapter 326, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 326 etymon 3. er- : or- : r- 'to move, set in motion' (laryngealistic reconstruction as "*h₁reiH").

Anagrams
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