Donets
/ˈdoʊ.nɛts/noun
A river in eastern Europe, commonly known as the Seversky Donets, that flows into the Don.
Did you know?The name ultimately belongs to an ancient Indo-European family of river names built from a root meaning “river” or “flowing water,” not from a modern personal name.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dānu-
“River or flowing water”
Ancient Iranian
Old Iranian
dānu
“River; a major watercourse”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Tanaïs
“The Don River, a name borrowed for the great river”
Early Slavic
Slavic
Donъ
“The Don River”
Medieval Slavic
Slavic
Donecь
“The smaller or lesser Don, formed with a diminutive suffix”
Modern English
English
Donets
“The Donets River, especially the Seversky Donets”