• English
  • Gàidhlig
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Checkout
  • Cart
  • Gàidhlig
Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA)

  • Home
  • Database
    • AZ List
  • Searchable Map
  • Resources
    • Place-name Lists
    • Maps
    • OS Map
    • Reading List
    • Gaelic Place-Name Policy
    • Onomastic Abbreviations
    • Academic Papers
    • Links
  • Support
    • AÀA Supporter
  • Shop
    • Services
    • Corporate Memberships
    • Publications
  • News
  • Contact Us

River Clyde ~ Abhainn Chluaidh

February 28, 2020, Jake King

Originally published in the Scotsman on 9 April 2016

The River Clyde is one of the oldest Scottish names for which we have a record; the Egyptian geographer Ptolemy in 50 AD wrote it as klōta. It is always difficult to tell the original intended meanings of large rivers in Scotland, but this name is thought to mean ‘pure or cleansed one’, a meaning possibly also seen in the name of the Cluden Water.

The name of the Clutha Bar on the banks of the Clyde is taken from Macpherson’s Ossianic Poetry which used Clutha as the Gaelic name of the River Clyde.  Macpherson likely invented this form for his poetry however, since the name of the Clyde in Gaelic is Cluaidh.

In Arran Gaelic the River Clyde was known simply as An Rìobhar, ‘The River’ a loan word from Scots river. Arran Gaelic speakers would say a’ dol suas an Rìobhar, ‘going up the River (Clyde)’.

For further research please see our database: Clyde

previous postnext post

Primary Sidebar

Database


Match phrase Match words




OS Map

Welcome to the Ordnance Survey (OS) open source digital map. This is a tool you can use to study ... Continue Reading about OS Map

Our Products

  • Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape – Place names in Caithness and Sutherland £0.00
  • Gaelic in the Landscape – Place names in North West Scotland £0.00

News

Kirkcudbright ~ Cille Chuithbeirt

Footer

Gaelic Place-names of Scotland

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sleat
Isle of Skye
IV44 8RQ

+44 (0) 1471 888 120
fios@ainmean-aite.scot

Useful links

  • About Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba
  • How to use the search
  • Commercial Information & Rates
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Other Policies
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Gàidhlig

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Database
    • AZ List
  • Searchable Map
  • Resources
    • Place-name Lists
    • Maps
    • OS Map
    • Reading List
    • Gaelic Place-Name Policy
    • Onomastic Abbreviations
    • Academic Papers
    • Links
  • Support
    • AÀA Supporter
  • Shop
    • Services
    • Corporate Memberships
    • Publications
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Gàidhlig

Site Search

Follow Us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

BNAG Logo

Copyright © 2022 Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. All rights reserved. Website by Lumberjack Digital

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimise our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}