Parrett

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A river flowing through Somerset and Dorset in southwest England into the Bristol Channel near Bridgwater
2. A watercourse in the southwest of England that rises in Dorset and drains into the Bristol Channel
3. An English river in the county of Somerset, flowing through low-lying levels to the sea at Bridgwater Bay

Etymology: The River Parrett rises near Chard in Somerset, flows north-west past Langport and Bridgwater, and empties into the Bristol Channel. Its name is not a Celtic or Old English coinage in any sense that can be traced here, and the only etymological fact available about the word is that it is a variant of "Perrett", a surname. The river's name therefore appears to have been applied to the watercourse and later shared with the surname family, and the spelling "Parrett" is the form used for the river itself. The surname "Perrett" is itself a diminutive of the personal name "Peter", so the river and the family name share a common origin in that given name, though the source does not establish how the river came to bear it. Readers should treat the connection between the river and a personal name as unproven rather than settled.