Roybridge
Drochaid Ruaidh
Meaning
the bridge of the Roy
Location
Inverness-shire
Highland
PH31
NN275815
English / Map Form: Roybridge
Gaelic Form: Drochaid Ruaidh
Location: Lochaber, Highland
Post Town: ROY BRIDGE
Postcode area: PH31
County: Inverness-shire
Local Authority: Highland
Nearest Main Roads: A86
English / Map Form: Roybridge
Gaelic Form: Drochaid Ruaidh
Language Notes
G nom. sg. drochaid, masc. ‘bridge’ + lenited gen. sg. of river name RuaidhElement Meaning
G drochaid ~ bridge; ruaidhe ~ river name
Sources
Drochaid Ruaidh | Dieckhoff 1932 |
Drochaid Ruaidh | Robertson MS363, 35 |
Drochaid Ruaidh | current road signage |
Additional Information
The article would not be expected here because the element ruaidh here represents the river, not the adjective ‘red’. This is corroborated by the English / SSE version of the name, which is Roybridge after the river, rather than *Redbridge.
The river-name could reflect an older Celtic root of which both the river-name Ruaidh and the adjective ruadh are cognates. The name is somewhat understood as an abstract noun of the adjective, thus ruaidhe, ‘redness’.