Bormida (river)

Bormida
The Bormida between Castellazzo and Cantalupo
Bormida location within NW Italy
Location
CountryItaly
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationRocca Barbena, Liguria
 • elevationColle Scravaion, 800 m (2,600 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Tanaro
 • coordinates
44°56′04″N 8°40′29″E / 44.9345°N 8.6746°E / 44.9345; 8.6746
Length153 km (95 mi)[1]
Basin size3,663 km2 (1,414 sq mi)[2]
Discharge 
 • average44.2 m3/s (1,560 cu ft/s)[2]
Basin features
ProgressionTanaroPoAdriatic Sea
Tributaries 
 • rightBormida di Spigno, Erro, Orba

The Bormida (Bormia in Piedmontese language) is a river of north-west Italy.

Toponymy

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The hydronym Bormida derives from the pre-Roman Ligurian proto-form *bormo ('warm or bubbling water'), also linked to the names of the gods of the springs Bormō and Bormānus. Similar hydronyms are present in the region: the river Borbera and the river Borbore, but also the town of Bormio in Lombardy know since the ancient times for the thermal waters and the town of Burbons les bains in France known for the same reason. The root *borm- itself could have pre-Indo-European origins[3] and, therefore, could be connected with the lost language (or languages) of Prehistoric inhabitants of Europe who occupied Northern Italy before the possible arrival of the Indo-Europeans.

Geography

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Motivo sulla Bormida, Alfredo d'Andrade, 1865

The Bormida rises in Liguria from the Rocca Barbena (close to Colle Scravaion) as 'Bormida di Millesimo, and flows at first through Liguria and then through Piedmont. After converging with the Bormida di Spigno near Bistagno it joins the Tanaro, of which it is the major tributary, north-east of Alessandria.

References

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  1. ^ AA.VV. (2004). "Elaborato I.c/5". Piano di Tutela delle Acque - Revisione del 1º luglio 2004; Caratterizzazione bacini idrografici (PDF). Regione Piemonte. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  2. ^ a b AA.VV. (1 July 2004). "Elaborato I.c/7". Piano di Tutela delle Acque - Revisione del 1º luglio 2004; Caratterizzazione bacini idrografici (PDF). Regione Piemonte. Archived from the original (pdf) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  3. ^ Francesco Perono Cacciafoco. 2015. Pre-Indo-European Relics: The *borm- Root in the European Pre-Latin Context. Acta Linguistica: Journal for Theoretical Linguistics, 9, 2, pp. 57-69.