Revala

Estonian thumb|Ancient Estonian counties Alternative forms et Rävala Etymology Estonian linguist Gustav Must theorized, that the toponym is related to et rebane fox and suffixed with a toponym-forming suffix et -la.de 1951 Must Gustav Zur Herkunft des Stadtnamens Reval https://journal.fi/fuf/article/view/114292/67459 Finnisch-Ugrische Forschungen 30 303–311 10.33339/fuf.114292 0355-1253 https://web.archive.org/web/20241209103045/https://journal.fi/fuf/article/view/114292/67459 9 December 2024 Latvian historian Nicolaus Busch connected the toponym to non rif reef (compare da rev and sv ref), hypothesizing that it got its name due to being located near the Northern Estonian coastal cliffs. If so, the term was later expanded with a German diminutive suffix de -el. Swedish priest Per Wieselgren et called Busch's theory a Scandinavian folk etymology, and instead connected the toponym with et räbal tatter, rags and et riba strip.sv 1948 Wieselgren Per Namnet Reval Meijerbergs arkiv för svensk ordforsknin 7 88–116 0348-7741 In any case, the toponym got borrowed into German, whence it was reborrowed back into Estonian literary language in this form. Note that the toponym likely never existed in actual Estonian usage and was only used in written documents, as such written by German nobility. The Hanseatic League Hanseatic name for Tallinn, de Reval, ru Ревель, fi Rääveli etc., is derived from the name of the county. Pronunciation et evɑlɑ 3 et Re va la Proper noun Revala Revalat an Ancient Estonia ancient Estonian county located in the vicinity of modern-day Tallinn Declension Revala sg References Further reading et Places in Estonia