What was the old English word for river?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

In Old English, which was spoken in Anglo-Saxon England from the fifth to the twelfth centuries, several distinct vocabulary words were utilized to describe flowing bodies of water and rivers. The most common and direct Old English terms for a river or stream were stream and ea, the latter of which derived from Germanic roots and cognates found across old European languages. Additionally, specialized geographical descriptors like burna or broc were frequently used to denote smaller flowing watercourses, creeks, and brooks, leaving a lasting legacy in modern English topography and place names.

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