page_title: River Findhorn
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: River Findhorn / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: Beach at Findhorn.
context_page_description: The River Findhorn is one of the longest rivers in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the Moray Firth on the north coast. It has one of the largest non-firth estuaries in Scotland.
  The river is c.100 kilometres long and the catchment area is 1,300 square kilometres
  The river provides excellent salmon and trout fishing and is popular with anglers from around the globe. It is also one of Scotland's classic white water kayaking rivers and draws canoeists from across the country.
context_section_description: The derivation of the name 'Findhorn' is not absolutely clear. Watson (1926) states that it is derived from Gaelic Fionn Èire, meaning "white Ireland" which  "doubtless refers to the white sands of the estuary". The genitive Èireann then gave rise to the use of the anglicized 'earn' or 'erne' in other local names such as Invererne and Dunearn.
  'Burn' is a Scots language word for stream although most of the names referred to above are of Gaelic origin. Other common tributary names include abhainn (river or stream) and allt (brook, burn or stream).
  Monadhliath is Am Monadh Liath in Gaelic and means grey mountain range and Càrn means a cairn or heap of stones. Coignafearn is from Cóig na Feàrna and means "the fifth of the alder", in this case "fifth" referring to a fraction of a davoch, a land measurement that could be subdivided into halves, quarters or fifths. Amongst the main settlements Tomatin is from Tom Aitinn meaning "juniper hillock", Forres is from farrais, a small copse  and Kinloss from cinn lois, herb headland.
caption: The white sands of the beach at Findhorn
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