--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, g <st-george@...> wrote:
> > Ordrup, Ore (3), Orebjerg, Oreby, Orehoved (across the strait
from
> > Vordingborg & Oringe) < ODa wara "uncultivated land". Glacis?
> >
> > Torsten
>
> Is every O here to be read Ø (i.e. Ö)? Does Øre- correspond to
Ger.
> Wehr-? (Anyway, a curious evolution from wVr, as compared with the
> Deutsche one (vVr).)
I think w > v is rather late.
>
No. As you can see, the Ø's come through beautifully. Those are O's
Jørgensen: Stednavneordbog
Ur-nordisk
*aura- > ODa. ø:r 'gravel'
*aurio: > -ør (monosyllabic in nom.)
Helsingør, Skælskør (< Skælfisk-), Korsør
and
*auria- nt.
'gravelly stretch, gravelly beach'
The reason why whether there was gravel on the beach or not was
important is that in those places you can drag your boat onto the
shore even when there isn't a harbour (cf Dragør south of
Copenhagen). Hence also 'Øresund'.
'Ore-' is unrelated. There is a development in Danish wa > wo > úo >
o: (I mentioned it before). The last step may be a hypercorrection
of the tendency in Jutland for o: > úo > wo.
Torsten