At 12:14:55 PM on Saturday, September 27, 2003, João Simões
Lopes Filho wrote:
> What's the meaning of -egg in German toponyms, like
> Schwarzenegg (a Swiss town) ?
I believe that it's a variant of <-eck>, from <Eck> 'edge'.
In toponyms the sense is usually 'jutting rock or cliff' or
the like, and it can refer to a mountain peak. Cognate with
English <edge>. From PIE *H2ek^- 'sharp', according to
Watkins.
Brian