Τινα

Attested:  Ptolemy 2,3,5  Τινα river mouth

Where:  The river Eden, reaching the sea between St Andrews and Leuchars, in Fife, around NO4819.

Name Origin:  PIE *ten- ‘to stretch’ led to words such as tine and Welsh tyn ‘stretched’.  It may have contributed to several ancient names, including Tinea (Spurn Head), Veratino (Warrington) and Tanatis (Thanet).  Both rivers now called Tyne have sticking-out points at their mouths, while the Tyne on the Isle of Wight was a sticking-out ledge of rocks used as a quarry, Tyninghame, East Lothian has a rocky promontory, and Tyneham, Dorset sits above a funny little promontory.  So it seems reasonable to guess that Τινα was named for one of the two spurs at the Eden's mouth. 

Notes:  This overrules the river Tay suggestion by Marx (2013).  PIE *teng- ‘to soak’ has also been suggested as a source of river names like Tyne.

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Last edited 20 February 2025     to main Menu