Editing Øresund (section)

==Name==
The strait is called ''Øresund'' in [[Danish language|Danish]] (and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]), and ''Öresund'' in [[Swedish language|Swedish]], informally ''Sundet''<ref name=runeberg>{{Cite encyclopedia|entry-url=https://runeberg.org/nfcn/0093.html|entry=Öresund|date=1922|title=Nordisk familjebok|trans-title=Nordic Family Book|edition=Owl|volume=34|language=sv}}</ref> ({{lit|the Strait}}) in all three languages.
The first part of the name is ''[[:wikt:eyra#Old Norse|øre]]'' "gravel/sand beach", and the second part is ''[[:wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/sundą|sund]]'', i.e. "sound, strait".

The name is first attested on a [[Mejlbystenen|runestone]] dated to ca. AD 1000, where it is written as ''ura suti'', read as [[Old East Norse]] {{IPA|/øːrasundi/}} (the dative case).<ref>[[Mejlbystenen]], [[Rundata|DR]] 117. {{lang|non|᛬ᛁ᛬ᚢᚱᛅ᛬ᛋᚢᛏᛁ᛬}} "in the ear-sound".</ref> 
The [[Old West Norse]] (and [[Icelandic language|modern Icelandic]]) form of the name is ''Eyrarsund''. 
''Ør'' is the modern form of the old Norse word (aur) meaning a gravel beach or shoal (see also [[Ayre (landform)|ayre]]), often forming a [[Spit (landform)|spit]]. Such landforms are common in the area and "ör" is found in the names of many places along the strait, e.g. [[Helsingør]], [[Skanör]], [[Dragør]] and [[Halör]], an important center of trade during the [[Viking Age]].<ref name=runeberg/>
<ref>''[http://ordnet.dk/ods/ordbog?query=%C3%B8re Øre]'' ''[[Ordbog over det danske Sprog]]'' "et smalt stykke land imellem to store vande, fra et land til andet. [...] Øresund kaldes saaledes fordi det begynder ved Siellands Øre og ved Øster-Søen ved et Øre, som er Skan-Øre. [...] sandet ell. gruset strand(bred), ofte spec.: dannende en odde, en halvø ell. en smal landtange."
{{cite book|first=Jan |last=Katlev |title=Politikens Etymologisk Ordbog |page=694 |year=2000 |publisher=Politikens Forlag |location=[[Copenhagen]] |isbn=87-567-6200-3 |quote=af ''ør'', ''øre'' 'gruset strandbred' + sund.}}
[http://ordnet.dk/ods/ordbog?query=%C3%B8r Ør], ''[[Ordbog over det danske Sprog]]''. Cf. also Ole Lauridsen in the Danish radio program ''Sproghjørnet'' [http://www.dr.dk/p4/sproghjoernet/sprog-uge-1509-nr-1 (audio clip in Danish)].</ref>
<ref>[https://svenska.se/so/?id=62498&pz=7 ''Svensk Ordbok''] published by the [[Swedish Academy]] "Ör: (bank av) grus eller sand [...] sedan 1000-talet [[:sv:Upplands runinskrifter 996|runsten, Funbo, Uppland (Sveriges runinskrifter)]] runform aur, fornsv. ör, sv. dial. ör ’grus, sten’"</ref>