Township: Heanish

Map Reference: Heanish 71

Name Type: shore

Meaning: There is just one oral source for this name. It could be derived from ScG mias ‘plate, dish, basin' (Dwelly), with the locational suffix -ag.
However, this Tiree coastal name is more likely to be Norse with ON vík 'bay'. The specific might plausibly be ON meiss 'in Norway, any basket of wicker-work, e.g. meisa síld, barrel of herrings' (CV, 423), used here for collecting seaweed: Meisavík. A similar phonetic development from ei > ia is found in Hianis (see section 17.4.2.1).
There is a Meisfjorden in Leirfjord derived from meiss (NS), and a Meisvika in Hattfjelldal, Norway (NG).

Other Forms:

Related Places:

Information:

Local Form:

Languages : Norse

Informants: Angus Munn, Heanish, 6/1995

Informant 2: Neil Johnston, Heanish, 5/1994