De Lethe

Dutch

Etymology

First attested as in de Leete in 1757. Likely derived from lede (“excavated watercourse”), although the spelling of the toponym is odd. It is possible that the settlement was originally named after the River Lethe from Greek myth, and that the settlement's inhabitants reinterpreted the name to a variant of lede over time.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /də ˈleː.tə/
• Hyphenation: De Le‧the
• Rhymes: -eːtə

Proper noun

De Lethe n

1. a hamlet in Westerwolde, Groningen, Netherlands

References

• van Berkel, Gerard; Samplonius, Kees (2018), Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN