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stream; and as such streams are often taken as the divisions 

 between adjoining properties, bourne came to mean a boundary 

 or limit. In French this is the only meaning of Borne. 



In Gaelic, burn means fresh water. It is probably connected 

 with the German Brunnen. 



BURY, 



This suffix assumes many forms, e.g., Burgh, Borough, &c. 

 The same root appears in Burrow, meaning a rabbit's hole, and in 

 Burial meaning Interment ; perhaps also in Berg (ice-berg), 

 meaning a hill, a fastness. 



In Anglo-Saxon, " Beorgan " is to protect ; In German 

 " Bergen " is to conceal. The original root doubtless meant at 

 first, only to conceal ; then, to conceal in the earth, i.e., to bury ; 

 next, to conceal for safety, i.e., to protect. 



Burgh or Borough therefore would mean a jjrotected town, a 

 place of safety. 



Lastly, it would come to mean a stronghold, a mountain fast- 

 ness, a hill fort, or a hill simply, as in the modern German 

 word Berg, a relic of which we have in our Iceberg. 



The Greek word mifrfoi is to be referred to the same root as 

 Burgh. It may be added that in Gaelic "Buraich," where the 

 "c" is not pronounced, is to bury, i.e., to inter; and that 

 " bhuraih," where bh=:v, is a rabbit warren. 



COMBE. 



This in Welsh is Cwm, a Kymric word denoting a depression 

 in the hills, with a narrow valley leading out of it, and a stream 

 flowing through. 



DOWN. 



In Gaelic this is " dun ;" and it is also found in Anglo-Saxon 

 as " diin ;" and in German as " diine." In Welsh it appears 

 as " dinas." It is probably connected with the Greek root 

 ray, or tii», in Tayi5«, tei'vw, denoting extent, expanse, &c. As forming 

 part of English place-names, it means an open plain either on high 

 land or on low. 



