Rhine
/raɪn/noun
A major river in western Europe that flows from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea.
Did you know?The Rhine’s name goes back to a very old Indo-European root meaning “to flow,” the same ancient river-root that appears in names like the Shannon and the Rhone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*rei-
“to flow, run”
Proto-Celtic
PCelt
*Renos
“river, flowing water”
Ancient Germanic
Gmc
*Rinō
“the Rhine River”
Latin
Latin
Rhenus
“the Rhine River”
Old High German
OHG
Rīn
“the Rhine”
Modern English
English
Rhine
“the Rhine River”