Editing Islands of the Clyde (section)

== Etymology ==
[[File:The Cumbraes.jpg|thumb|[[The Cumbraes]] with [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] and [[Isle of Bute|Bute]] beyond]]

The [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] historian [[Tacitus]] refers to the ''Clota'', meaning the Clyde. The derivation is not certain but is probably from the [[Common Brythonic|Brythonic]] ''Clouta'', which became ''Clut'' in [[Old Welsh]]. The name literally means "wash", probably referring to a river goddess who is seen as "the washer" or "the strongly flowing one".<ref>Watson (1994) pp. 44, 71</ref> The derivation of the word “Bute” is also uncertain. The Norse name for it is ''Bót'' an Old Irish word for "fire", which might be a reference to signal fires.<ref>Watson (1994) pp. 95–86</ref> The etymology of “Arran” is no clearer. Haswell-Smith (2004) suggests that it derive from a Brythonic word meaning "high place",<ref name=H11>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 11</ref> although Watson (1926) suggests it may be pre-Celtic.<ref>Watson (1994) p. 97</ref>{{#tag:ref|In support of the controversial [[Vasconic substratum theory|Vasconic substratum hypothesis]], [[Theo Vennemann]] notes the recurrence of the element ''aran'', (Unified Basque ''haran'') meaning"valley", in names like [[Val d'Aran]], [[Arundel]], or [[Arendal]].<ref>Baldi & Page (December 2006) Review of "Europa Vasconica – Europa Semitica", ''Lingua'', '''116''' Issue 12 pp. 2183–2220</ref>|group="Note"}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Island
! Derivation
! Language
! Meaning
! Modern Gaelic name<ref name=MaT>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) various pages.</ref>
! Alternative Derivations
|-
| [[Isle of Arran|Arran]]
| Possibly ''Aran''
| Brythonic
| high place<ref name="H11" />
| ''Arainn''
| Possibly pre-Celtic
|-
| [[Isle of Bute|Bute]]
| ''Bót'' (see above)
| Norse or Gaelic
| Possibly "fire isle"
| ''Eilean Bhòid'' or ''Bód''
| Possibly from Brythonic ''budh'' for "corn" and previously known as ''[[Rothesay, Argyll and Bute|Rothesay]]'' meaning "Roderick's island"<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 23</ref>
|-
| [[Davaar Island|Davaar]]
| ''Eilean Dà Bhàrr''
| Gaelic
| Barr's island
| ''Eilean Dà Bhàrr''
|
|-
| [[Great Cumbrae]]
| ''Cymri''
| English/Brythonic
| place of the Brythonic people
| ''Cumaradh Mòr''
| Gaelic literally means "place of the Cymric people".<ref name="MaT"/> Previously known in English as Great or Greater Cumray.<ref name="HaswellSmith" />
|-
| [[Holy Island, Firth of Clyde|Holy Island]]
| –
| English
| Refers to [[Molaise of Leighlin]]
| ''Eilean Mo Laise''
| Previously known as "[[Lamlash]]", the English name was adopted in 1830 when the Arran village took this name. In Gaelic, the island is also known as "An t-Eilean Àrd" (the high island).
|-
| [[Sanda Island|Sanda]]
| ''Sandtange'' or ''Havin''
| Old Norse or Danish
| sandspit or anchorage<ref name=H5>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 5</ref>
| ''Àbhainn''
| Also known as "Sanda Island"<ref name=H5/>
|}