Danubian - Names and Etymology

Names and Etymology

The Danube was known in Latin as Danubius, Danuvius, Ister, in Ancient Greek as Ἴστρος (Istros). The Dacian/Thracian name was Τάναις/Donaris/Donaris (upper Danube) and Istros (lower Danube). Its Thraco-Phrygian name was Matoas, "the bringer of luck".

The name Dānuvius is presumably a loan from Celtic (Gaulish), or possibly Iranic. It is one of a number of river names derived from a Proto-Indo-European language word *dānu, apparently a term for "river", but possibly also of a primeval cosmic river, and of a Vedic river goddess (see Danu), perhaps from a root *dā "to flow/swift, rapid, violent, undisciplined." Other river names with the same etymology include Don, Donets, Dnieper and Dniestr. Dniepr (pre-Slavic Danapir by Gothic historian Jordanes) and Dniestr, from Danapris and Danastius, are presumed from Scythian Iranic *Dānu apara "posterior river" and *Dānu nazdya- "anterior river", respectively.

The Ancient Greek Istros was a borrowing from Thracian/Dacian meaning "strong, swift", akin to Sanskrit iṣiras "swift".

Since the Norman conquest of England, the English language has used the Latin-derived word Danube.

In the languages of the modern countries through which the river flows, it is:

• Bulgarian: Дунав (transliterated: Dunav)
• Croatian: Dunav
• German: Donau
• Hungarian: Duna
• Romanian: Dunărea
• Serbian: Дунав, Dunav, or
• Slovak: Dunaj
• Ukrainian: Дунай (transliterated: Dunai)
• Turkish: Tuna