Language Notes

Element Meaning

Sources

This name was gathered as part of a local research project on the place-names of Strath, Isle of Skye and was published in a booklet by SNH and AÀA. The Following quote appears in that booklet:

“Loch nam Madadh Uisge, in Luib, was recorded by the Reverend Charles M. Robertson (a Gaelic scholar and placename collector who lived on Skye for some time) as meaning ‘the loch of the fresh-water mussels’. However, the habitat around the loch is extremely boggy, so this seems unlikely. Alternatively, if one looks to Wester Ross and Lewis, one finds that madadh uisge means ‘otter’. This may be linked to a local tradition which told children of a loch monster to warn them against going near its boggy edge.”

Gaelic in the Landscape: Place-names of Strath, Isle of Skye (Scottish Natural Heritage 2015): 24

Additional Information

Alternative Forms