Why does river come before the name?

‘ ” “River” entered the language by way of Anglo-Norman and French, first appearing in written English around 1300, the OED says. But the word was part of people’s names as far back as the 11th century. That name, first recorded in the 18th century, comes from an archaic use of “river” to mean a coast or seaboard.

Does river come before or after the name?

Rivers. In British English, “river” almost always precedes the proper name: the River Thames and the River Severn. In North American English, “river” usually comes last: the Mississippi River, the Saint Lawrence River.

What are rivers called in England?

Major Rivers in the UK by Length

	River	km
1	River Severn	354
2	River Thames	346
3	River Trent	297
4	River Great Ouse	230

How do the British pronounce the Thames river?

“Thames” is pronounced as “temz” to rhyme with “shemz”, unless you mean the one in Connecticut, which is pronounced “Thames”. “River” in both instances is just “river”.”Thames” is pronounced as “temz” in England, Canada and new Zealand.

Do we say the river or a river?

We use the before the names of rivers. If we use the word river, we usually write it without a capital letter: the river Thames, the river Severn, the Yangtze river. We don’t always use the word river, especially when it is obvious that we are talking about a river: the Mississippi, the Nile, the Ganges, the Loire.

Why do Brits say river first?

This is because you would end up with things like The River Avon, Avon means River, so you are actually saying The River River. Probably because the Latin languages from which English derived do it that way round.

Is the chief river of England?

River Thames, ancient Tamesis or Tamesa, also called (in Oxford, England) River Isis, chief river of southern England. East End of London along the River Thames (c. …

How many named rivers are there in the UK?

How many rivers are in England? “Almost 1500 discrete river systems, comprising over 200,000 km of watercourses may be identified across the UK but, in a global context, our rivers are mere streams – being characteristically short, shallow and subject to considerable man-made disturbance.”

Why is the Thames River pronounced tems?

“The pronunciation of ‘Thames’ comes from the word’s original spelling, which had pre-Celtic roots. Simply put, the river’s name has always been pronounced ‘tems’, with a simple ‘t’ sound.

What is the term river mean?

noun. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. a similar stream of something other than water: a river of lava; a river of ice. any abundant stream or copious flow; outpouring: rivers of tears; rivers of words.

Is there a Thames River in the US?

The Thames River (/θeɪmz/) is a short river and tidal estuary in the state of Connecticut. It flows south for 15 miles (24 km) through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic River and Shetucket River at Norwich, Connecticut, to New London and Groton, Connecticut, which flank its mouth at Long Island Sound.

What is the correct name for a river in England?

Most rivers in England are “River Foo” but there are exceptions e.g. “Moors River”. Streams are always “Foo Stream”. Foreign rivers are variously called “Foo River”, especially if the author is N American, “River Foo” if the author is e.g. British, but most often just “the Foo” or “the Foo river”.

Do river names have “of” in them?

A: Once upon a time, river names in English usually included the word “of.” So instead of “River Jordan” (in modern British usage) or “Jordan River” (in American usage), you would have found “River of Jordan” (written something like “rywere of Iordane”).

What is the name of a foreign River?

Foreign rivers are variously called “Foo River”, especially if the author is N American, “River Foo” if the author is e.g. British, but most often just “the Foo” or “the Foo river”. This information is gleaned from various book-based searches of river names at Google Books.

Where did the name of the River Thames come from?

Many other names describe a specific attribute of the river – the Tamar, Teme, Thame and Thames all coming from the Celtic word for ‘dark water’. The Wye dividing England and South Wales and Wey, in either Surrey or Dorset, originate in the Celtic word ‘weg,’ meaning ‘flowing water’.