Barr (placename element)

Barr- is a pre-Indo-European linguistic root meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier'.[1]

In addition to the common noun bar, it explains many place names as:

but not Le Bar-sur-Loup, a former Albarn > Aubarn.[citation needed]

In Alps, the word applies to rocky escarpments:

This root should not be mistaken for the Basque root Bar- / ibar 'valley'.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Éric Vial, Les noms de villes et de village, Belin, 1983, ISBN 2-7011-0476-9