# In the name Firth of Forth what is the etymology of the word Forth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2022, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241 "2022-07-01T09:47:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/1 "2022-07-01T09:47:33Z")
In the name Firth of Forth what is the etymology of the word Forth? I remember it having a meaning but couldn’t find any reference to it online. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/2 "2022-07-01T10:27:20Z")
Did you mean to ask for the etymology of Firth? Forth is the name of a river and firth is an estuary leading to that river. Firth is related to fjord, narrow inlet. It’s all right here: [Firth of Forth - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth_of_Forth) On an unrelated note, I was just there a few days ago. The river spanning the Firth of Forth goes to Fife. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/3 "2022-07-01T11:57:01Z")
I meant Forth. I thought I remembered a background story to the name of the river. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/4 "2022-07-01T11:58:50Z")
Got it. From that page: > Forth stems from the name of the river; this is \*Vo-rit-ia (slow running) in Proto-Celtic, yielding Foirthe in Old Gaelic and Gweryd in Welsh. Looks like it means “slow running” ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/5 "2022-07-01T12:00:37Z")
Thanks RitterSport. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/6 "2022-07-01T18:08:32Z")
Looks like the etymology traces to _per_ (forward ) in Proto Indo European root. Lots of Hindi words are also derived from the same prefix meaning approximately the same. > **[forth | Etymology, origin and meaning of forth by etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/forth)** > > FORTH Meaning: "forward, onward, farther; continually;" as a preposition, "during," perfective of fore, from… See origin and meaning of forth. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/7 "2022-07-01T18:11:10Z")
That appears to be the wrong etymology for this usage. The Forth here has nothing to do with forward, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/8 "2022-07-01T23:37:41Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > On an unrelated note, I was just there a few days ago. The river spanning the Firth of Forth goes to Fife. And is that divided into fifths? If not, it ought to be. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/9 "2022-07-02T00:17:34Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > On an unrelated note, I was just there a few days ago. The river spanning the Firth of Forth goes to Fife. In 2017 they opened the third Forth bridge to Fife. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/10 "2022-07-02T00:34:08Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > And is that divided into fifths? If not, it ought to be. The [Firth of Fifth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz-tHZEr37I) is something completely different. Youtube link to song “Firth of Fifth” by Genesis, for those who don’t want to click ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/11 "2022-07-02T01:20:58Z")
Wherever there are four Scotsmen, there will be a fifth. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/12 "2022-07-02T10:14:53Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > The river spanning the Firth of Forth goes to Fife. Pity the radio/TV announcer who comes across this while reading the Scottish football results: East Fife 4 - Forfar 5 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/13 "2022-07-02T10:34:05Z")
Plus the announcer had to watch Scottish football. \ ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-name-firth-of-forth-what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-forth/967241/14 "2022-07-02T10:59:35Z")
In 1963/64 Forfar beat East Fife 5-4 at home.