Marwick suggests this #PlaceName derives from ON Jǫtunn ‘giant’. The same word is in Yettna Geo (Sandwick) & in a Rousay standing stone of which it ‘is said that in the early hours of every New Year’s Day the Yetnasteen takes 2 giant strides down to the nearby loch for a drink!' (Rousay Remembered)
November 9, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Marwick suggests this #PlaceName derives from ON Jǫtunn ‘giant’. The same word is in Yettna Geo (Sandwick) & in a Rousay standing stone of which it ‘is said that in the early hours of every New Year’s Day the Yetnasteen takes 2 giant strides down to the nearby loch for a drink!' (Rousay Remembered)
My Anglo-Saxon prof was of the opinion that the slang word "twat" derives from the placename (which means a cut or a pasture). Same as -thwaite in English places.
So there are twats everywhere.
So there are twats everywhere.
November 10, 2025 at 9:23 AM
My Anglo-Saxon prof was of the opinion that the slang word "twat" derives from the placename (which means a cut or a pasture). Same as -thwaite in English places.
So there are twats everywhere.
So there are twats everywhere.
![The origin of the waterfall's name is not completely clear. In modern Icelandic, the name can be read either as "waterfall of the goð (gods)" or "waterfall of the goði (chieftain)." Linguist and placename expert Svavar Sigmundsson suggests that the name derives from two crags at the falls which resemble pagan idols. In 1879–1882, a myth was published in Denmark according to which the waterfall was named when the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland in the year 999 or 1000. Upon returning home from the Alþingi, Þorgeir supposedly threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. However, although the story of Þorgeir's role in the adoption of Christianity in Iceland is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók, no mention is made of Þorgeir throwing his idols into Goðafoss. The legend appears to be a nineteenth-century fabrication.[3] Nevertheless, a window in Akureyrarkirkja, the main church at Akureyri, illustrates this story.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:k3lj3tnwkpllygj4xfrherjm/bafkreib4s2grezsuxjwvnh5e2bhi5lgin7hufdetliue4mkx4xc2pcmr4q@jpeg)
November 5, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Aldborough. What a splendid site. Those mosaics. The look on that horse/dog/creature's face.
And a placename that indicates awareness of those who came before as 'the old fortification'. Plus for philologists, a chance to get excited about the initial vowel. It's got it all.
And a placename that indicates awareness of those who came before as 'the old fortification'. Plus for philologists, a chance to get excited about the initial vowel. It's got it all.
Aldborough - Isurium Brigantum.
The town was established sometime after 74 A.D when the #Romans established themselves in Northern #Britain, following an uprising by the #Brigantes tribe.
Section of walls remain and #mosaics.
#Romanbritain #ancientbluesky
#Archaeology #History
#Towns
The town was established sometime after 74 A.D when the #Romans established themselves in Northern #Britain, following an uprising by the #Brigantes tribe.
Section of walls remain and #mosaics.
#Romanbritain #ancientbluesky
#Archaeology #History
#Towns
November 3, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Aldborough. What a splendid site. Those mosaics. The look on that horse/dog/creature's face.
And a placename that indicates awareness of those who came before as 'the old fortification'. Plus for philologists, a chance to get excited about the initial vowel. It's got it all.
And a placename that indicates awareness of those who came before as 'the old fortification'. Plus for philologists, a chance to get excited about the initial vowel. It's got it all.
On the way home from half-term at Center Parcs, & I think we've got a winner for the daftest English placename of the journey. I present Limpley Stoke (Upper & Lower)!
October 31, 2025 at 1:36 PM
On the way home from half-term at Center Parcs, & I think we've got a winner for the daftest English placename of the journey. I present Limpley Stoke (Upper & Lower)!
TIL and am being wildly roasted for: that Hell's Kitchen is an actual place, not just a placename that was made up for Daredevil.
October 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
TIL and am being wildly roasted for: that Hell's Kitchen is an actual place, not just a placename that was made up for Daredevil.
With Oireachtas na Gaeilge taking place in Belfast this week, the Placenames Branch has looked at the topic of the placename Béal Feirste.
To find out more about the origins of the name visit https://loom.ly/4lPtS-U
To find out more about the origins of the name visit https://loom.ly/4lPtS-U
October 30, 2025 at 1:15 PM
With Oireachtas na Gaeilge taking place in Belfast this week, the Placenames Branch has looked at the topic of the placename Béal Feirste.
To find out more about the origins of the name visit https://loom.ly/4lPtS-U
To find out more about the origins of the name visit https://loom.ly/4lPtS-U
AKA Bay of Moclett. Bothican is a tricky #PlaceName Marwick suggests the #Gaelic word bothagan ‘the huts’, but it remains very much an uncertain etymology.
Bothican before the hail.
Papay - Orkney - today.
Papay - Orkney - today.
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
AKA Bay of Moclett. Bothican is a tricky #PlaceName Marwick suggests the #Gaelic word bothagan ‘the huts’, but it remains very much an uncertain etymology.
You get an indication from the place named. If people visit they often like to mark the event by naming features. In this on the whole of the island, there is only one placename (lots of possibilities). That is a UK name done by BAS a decade ago, when we named Attenborough Strait.
October 25, 2025 at 7:37 AM
You get an indication from the place named. If people visit they often like to mark the event by naming features. In this on the whole of the island, there is only one placename (lots of possibilities). That is a UK name done by BAS a decade ago, when we named Attenborough Strait.
I think for Americans they will more often hear of the history imparted by the Lummi nation and the north straights Salish name of Qwú'mə Kwəlshéːn
It appears related to a Nooksack placename (of Lhéchelesem dialect), meaning "shooting place" regarding provision grounds in meadows before Mt Baker
It appears related to a Nooksack placename (of Lhéchelesem dialect), meaning "shooting place" regarding provision grounds in meadows before Mt Baker
October 13, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I think for Americans they will more often hear of the history imparted by the Lummi nation and the north straights Salish name of Qwú'mə Kwəlshéːn
It appears related to a Nooksack placename (of Lhéchelesem dialect), meaning "shooting place" regarding provision grounds in meadows before Mt Baker
It appears related to a Nooksack placename (of Lhéchelesem dialect), meaning "shooting place" regarding provision grounds in meadows before Mt Baker
Kinburn remains a placename very squarely in the category of "I can't believe it's not in Scotland"
Vitaliy Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Administration, confirmed that Russian forces on the occupied Kinburn Spit are only using it as a forward recon and FPV drone post. When Ukrainian troops entered, they fled, leaving equipment behind. A larger contingent of Russian troops is concentrated more inland.
October 9, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Kinburn remains a placename very squarely in the category of "I can't believe it's not in Scotland"
But no. It's a fucking Turkish placename in Ukraine.
October 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
But no. It's a fucking Turkish placename in Ukraine.
As it turns out, it's a trick! It's originally a Norse placename, something like Særbýr. Seatown :)
October 9, 2025 at 1:13 PM
As it turns out, it's a trick! It's originally a Norse placename, something like Særbýr. Seatown :)
I should tell you about my favourite tiny Scottish placename. There is a ruined village on Mull called Siaba, which is also the Gaelic for "six cows." While it's tempting to believe this is the actual etymology that's not really typical in any way of how Gaelic placenames work.
October 9, 2025 at 1:13 PM
I should tell you about my favourite tiny Scottish placename. There is a ruined village on Mull called Siaba, which is also the Gaelic for "six cows." While it's tempting to believe this is the actual etymology that's not really typical in any way of how Gaelic placenames work.
shouldn't be a hot take, but if you have language A & B and there's a placename in both language A & B, it is more correct to use name A when writing in Language A and B for language B.
Idk how other people don't feel like mixing names & languages is like randomly switching 1 word in a sentence.
Idk how other people don't feel like mixing names & languages is like randomly switching 1 word in a sentence.
October 4, 2025 at 9:09 PM
shouldn't be a hot take, but if you have language A & B and there's a placename in both language A & B, it is more correct to use name A when writing in Language A and B for language B.
Idk how other people don't feel like mixing names & languages is like randomly switching 1 word in a sentence.
Idk how other people don't feel like mixing names & languages is like randomly switching 1 word in a sentence.
There are in fact two other places in Ireland that are apparently genuinely called Clúain Tairb/Cluain Tairbh "meadow of a/the bull".
Hogan's entry doesn't make it easy to immediately extract chronological information about when the placename is first attested.
/3
Hogan's entry doesn't make it easy to immediately extract chronological information about when the placename is first attested.
/3
September 28, 2025 at 6:44 PM
There are in fact two other places in Ireland that are apparently genuinely called Clúain Tairb/Cluain Tairbh "meadow of a/the bull".
Hogan's entry doesn't make it easy to immediately extract chronological information about when the placename is first attested.
/3
Hogan's entry doesn't make it easy to immediately extract chronological information about when the placename is first attested.
/3
I like how they chose a real placename in Britain. I'm struggling to think of a better comedy location to use than Cornwall.
September 11, 2025 at 5:07 PM
I like how they chose a real placename in Britain. I'm struggling to think of a better comedy location to use than Cornwall.
Although there is no obvious physical evidence for a church being here before the 12th century, the survival of that placename is our first clue in understanding the development of the religious foundation on this site.
3/10
3/10
September 11, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Although there is no obvious physical evidence for a church being here before the 12th century, the survival of that placename is our first clue in understanding the development of the religious foundation on this site.
3/10
3/10
Yes, it's a core part of our culture that is mostly hidden from us. My preference for placename signage, at least as a transition, would be new signs which state:
1. AN LOGAINM
2. Literal English Translation
3. (Anglicised familiar name)
1. AN LOGAINM
2. Literal English Translation
3. (Anglicised familiar name)
December 22, 2024 at 5:06 PM
Yes, it's a core part of our culture that is mostly hidden from us. My preference for placename signage, at least as a transition, would be new signs which state:
1. AN LOGAINM
2. Literal English Translation
3. (Anglicised familiar name)
1. AN LOGAINM
2. Literal English Translation
3. (Anglicised familiar name)
Not to mention that he's Deporting VENEZUELANS to EL SALVADOR.
And paying El Salvador's dictator-president $6 million to illegally imprison them.
I suspect many Americans just hear "south American placename" and don't pay attention to how horrendous this is.
And paying El Salvador's dictator-president $6 million to illegally imprison them.
I suspect many Americans just hear "south American placename" and don't pay attention to how horrendous this is.
March 18, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Not to mention that he's Deporting VENEZUELANS to EL SALVADOR.
And paying El Salvador's dictator-president $6 million to illegally imprison them.
I suspect many Americans just hear "south American placename" and don't pay attention to how horrendous this is.
And paying El Salvador's dictator-president $6 million to illegally imprison them.
I suspect many Americans just hear "south American placename" and don't pay attention to how horrendous this is.
15 Jan: Feast Day of Ss Airechtach "whom thou entreatest" & Robartach "thou numberest" of Inis Mór. Common placename often anglicised Inishmore. Inis Mór="big island". There is an Inishmore in Upper Lough Erne & an Inish More/Davy's Island in Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh! 📷Lough Erne Resort
January 15, 2025 at 6:24 AM
15 Jan: Feast Day of Ss Airechtach "whom thou entreatest" & Robartach "thou numberest" of Inis Mór. Common placename often anglicised Inishmore. Inis Mór="big island". There is an Inishmore in Upper Lough Erne & an Inish More/Davy's Island in Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh! 📷Lough Erne Resort
We need to bring back descriptive yet generic names.
Placename object co type shit
Placename object co type shit
May 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
We need to bring back descriptive yet generic names.
Placename object co type shit
Placename object co type shit
oh right, the Vandreblok Process framework. My girl Rachel and her insanely infinite photographic memory.
Where did I get Vandreblok, anyway? I think I just pulled from a placename in Greenland.
Where did I get Vandreblok, anyway? I think I just pulled from a placename in Greenland.
![“She sat back, and frowned. A wave of guilt rose up at the back of her throat, threatening to overwhelm the simple pleasure of this meal, and she fought it, wanting this moment. Wanting something better, something finer than cheap vodka and greedy hands. Without thinking, she reached out, let her finger glide over the emulsified butter, then caught some of the bread crumbs, then licked it off her fingertip.
When she looked up, she realized that Delaware was staring at her. Not a glancing look, not one motivated by conversation or deliberate remark. His polite southern gentlemanly veneer, so absolutely natural to Hudson, had dropped. His gaze was direct, unblinking, and for a fraction of a second, reminded her of an entirely different man.
Then, fast as an eyeblink, his face animated again. He smiled, rose from his chair and went to his refrigerator, returning with a small, unpretentious little pie. It was pecan, and smelled of butter, caramel and cinnamon.
“It took two years to figure this one out and it’s still a work in progress,” he said as he dished up a slice, and pushed it towards her. “I’m sure you have an extremely articulate palette[…]”
Excerpt From
Republic of Infidels - I: The Remains
Victoria De Capua
This material may be protected by copyright.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:w2xvtj6v24s44tidzc42akov/bafkreicogqlxradybx4rmek7r5qqinomhmcgmcfw33gvwln67pv2e7y4hm@jpeg)
January 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM
oh right, the Vandreblok Process framework. My girl Rachel and her insanely infinite photographic memory.
Where did I get Vandreblok, anyway? I think I just pulled from a placename in Greenland.
Where did I get Vandreblok, anyway? I think I just pulled from a placename in Greenland.
30 Dec: Feast Day of St Conlae, bishop of Rúscach. A common placename meaning 'barky'; angliscised Rooskey, Rooskagh etc. Examples in #Offaly, #Westmeath, #Louth, #Mayo, #Roscommon (Dr Elva Johnston). 📷Rooskey, Cooley, Co. Louth ©talkofthetown
December 30, 2024 at 6:07 AM
30 Dec: Feast Day of St Conlae, bishop of Rúscach. A common placename meaning 'barky'; angliscised Rooskey, Rooskagh etc. Examples in #Offaly, #Westmeath, #Louth, #Mayo, #Roscommon (Dr Elva Johnston). 📷Rooskey, Cooley, Co. Louth ©talkofthetown
Yes, it was chilly in parts of France last night, but I'm more entertained to learn there's actually a place called 'Bumblebees-on-Kidney'😂
November 22, 2024 at 3:19 PM
Yes, it was chilly in parts of France last night, but I'm more entertained to learn there's actually a place called 'Bumblebees-on-Kidney'😂