Rhine
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Rhine. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Rhine, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Rhine in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Rhine you have here. The definition of the word Rhine will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofRhine, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
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 *reinos; 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
Proper noun
the Rhine
- 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
river that flows through Europe
|
References
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “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").