Adige

Adige
The Adige in Verona
Map of the Adige River
EtymologyLatin Athesis, from Celtic *yt-ese, "the water"
Native name
Location
CountryItaly
Physical characteristics
SourceReschen Pass
 • locationGraun im Vinschgau, South Tyrol, Italy
 • coordinates46°50′04″N 10°30′53″E / 46.83444°N 10.51472°E / 46.83444; 10.51472
 • elevation1,520 m (4,990 ft)
MouthAdriatic Sea
 • location
Italy
 • coordinates
45°8′59″N 12°19′13″E / 45.14972°N 12.32028°E / 45.14972; 12.32028
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length410 km (250 mi)
Basin size12,100 km2 (4,700 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average235 m3/s (8,300 cu ft/s)

The Adige (Italian: [ˈaːdidʒe]; German: Etsch [ɛtʃ] ; Venetian: Àdexe [ˈadeze]; Romansh: Adisch [ɐˈdiːʃ] ; Ladin: Adesc; Latin: Athesis; Ancient Greek: Ἄθεσις, romanizedÁthesis, or Ἄταγις, Átagis[1]) is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows 410 kilometres (250 mi) through most of northeastern Italy to the Adriatic Sea.

The name of the river is of unknown origin.[2] Nineteenth-century theories, such as a derivation from the Proto-Celtic *yt-ese 'the water', and alleged to be cognate with the River Tees in England (anciently Athesis, Teesa),[3] have never been accepted by Celtic onomasts and are now completely obsolete.

  1. ^ "Athesis, Athesis". Numen - The Latin Lexicon - An Online Latin Dictionary - A Dictionary of the Latin Language.
  2. ^ Pellegrini, Giovan (2008). Toponomastica italica. Milano: Hoepli. p. 136.
  3. ^ Local Etymology: A Derivative Dictionary of Geographical Names. Houlston and Wright. 22 May 2019 – via Google Books.