Nethy

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A river in the Scottish Highlands that flows through the Strathspey region and joins the River Spey
2. A Scottish Highland river in the Strathspey area, near the village of Nethy Bridge, flowing toward the Spey
3. The name of a small river in north-east Scotland, running through the Cairngorms foothills to meet the Spey

Etymology: Nethy is a Scots adjective, a variant of "nether," meaning lower or under. It descends from the Old English "neothera," also meaning lower, which gave standard English "nether" and "nethermost." Scots kept the older form in everyday speech while standard English moved on. Most people now meet the word in place names rather than conversation. Nethy Bridge, a village in Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands, is named after the River Nethy that runs beside it. The river's name is older still and its exact origin is unclear, so whether it is linked to the adjective cannot be confirmed.

Synonyms: nether, lower

Antonyms: upper, higher