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Show "Island" and the Suffix "ay." Tho suffix "ey" which is so often found In English place-names signifies signi-fies "Island." The letter "a" crept Into In-to the modern English word "Island" through confusion with "Isle," which la of French origin. In middle English, the forma used were "Hand," "ilond," "yland" and "ylond." the first-men-tioned way or spelling tho word being used In Sponsor's ."Faerie Queene." The Anglo-Saxon "Ig-land" Is a com-iwund com-iwund or "lg" (Island) and "land" or "loud" (land). "Ik" was also written "eg" and "elg." The Icelandic form or the word Is "ey" and It Is In this shape that it occurs so frequently In English geographical nomenclature, as In Anglesey, Aldernoy, Jersey, etc. Sotpetlmns the form "ea" appears as in "Bat(orsea." |