166 lEESDALE PLACE-NAMES. 



" Sihe, syke, a streamlet of water; the smallest kind of natural 

 runner. Sax. sic, sich; Isl. sijke. It is used in title deeds of 

 property in the north, especially as descriptive of a boundary, or 

 something less than a beck or stream." Brockett. 



" Sike, st/ik, syk. 1. a rill or rivulet; one that is usually dry 

 in summer. 2. Macpherson explains syk as used, "Wyntown, 

 viii., 27, 172. "Marshy bottom, with a small stream in it." 



J^orth Engl, sick, syke, a small stream or rill. A.-S. sic, sich, 

 sulcus aquarius, lacuna, fossa. Isl. sijk, sijke, rivulus aquse. 

 Ihre mentions the Scotch term as synon. with siga, delabi, which 

 he assigns as the root." Jamieson. 



" Siga, ubi de aquis sermo est, notat defluere, per tacitos meatus 

 et rimas penetrare. Hac refer ex Glossis Alemannicis sighende, 

 liquentes. Belg. %ijgen, doorzijgen, colore. Islandis etiam sijk, 

 sijke, means a rivulet. Scot. sike. L. B. sichetus. Al. gesicTi, 

 stagnum, apud Schilterum in Gloss. Hinc explica nomina Alsike, 

 Groiisihe, &c." Ihre. 



• ' ' Syke, a streamlet, a rill of water ; a small run draining out 

 of a boggy place. 0. IS", siki, lacuna aquosa, sijk, sijke, rivulus 

 aquge. 0. Sw. sike. S. Gr. siga, defluere, per tacitos meatos et rimas 

 permeare. D. D. sige, a damp or moist place, a low place in the 

 land where water collects and stands the winter through ; sok, 

 syk, a marshy or boggy spot. A.-S. sich, a furrow, gutter, water 

 course. 0. H. Gr. gesich, stagnum." Atkinson, Clev. Grloss. 



Perhaps soak, to soak, soaking, comes from sole, sich, or syke. 



A Scandinavian, Teutonic, and A.-S. word used in the valleys 

 of the hilly districts of the northern part of England — in Tees- 

 dale, "Weardale, Tynedale, and other parts that have been occu- 

 pied by Danes, as Lincolnshire, &c. 



Examples : — 



Black Sike — from colour. A.-S. hlcEC, llaca. 



Bell S. — perhaps Bell's sike. 



Causeway S. — by the causeway, or calciata via. See Skeat's 

 Etym. Diet. 



Coal S. — where there is coal. A.-S. col. 



Dowhill S. — ?Dovehill. A.-S. duua, dove, pigeon; locally 

 dow. Eisher's S. 



