Editing Gomel (section)

==Etymology==
There are at least six narratives of the origin of the city's name. The most plausible is that the name is derived from the name of the stream Homeyuk, which flowed into the [[Sozh river|river Sozh]] near the foot of the hill where the first settlement was founded. Names of other Belarusian cities are formed along these lines: for example, [[Polotsk]] from the river [[Palata (river)|Palata]], and [[Vitebsk]] from the river Vitsba.

The first appearance of the name, as "Gomy", dates from 1142.<ref name="EB Homyel">{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Heather |title=Homyel Belarus |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Homyel-Belarus |website=www.britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=8 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Up to the 16th century, the city was mentioned as Hom', Homye, Homiy, Homey, or Homyi. These forms are tentatively explained as derivatives of unattested ''*gomŭ'' of uncertain meaning.<ref>''Этимологический словарь славянских языков: праславянский лексический фонд,'' под ред. О.Н. Трубачева, вып.7 (Москва, 1980), стр.21.</ref> The modern name for the city has been in use only since the 16th or 17th century.