Re: [tied] river name Tigre

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 45286
Date: 2006-07-07

On 2006-07-07 18:41, Cuadrado wrote:

> Hello
> i'm looking for etymologic roots from river name "Tigre" near from
> Euphrate
> help thanks

From PIE *(s)teig- 'pierce' (related to Eng. stick). The name is
Iranian, cf. e.g. Av. tiGra- 'sharp point', tiGri- 'arrow' -- the word
for 'tiger' comes from the same source. It translates the original
Sumerian name or the Tigris, Idigna, which meant 'the swift (river)'.

The name of the Euphrates (OPer. Ufratu-) is probably a
folk-etymological reshaping of Akkadian Purattu, which sounded like
Iranian *hu-pr.Twa- 'well-fordable'.

Piotr