Triptis - ein rätselhafter Ortsname als Sprachdenkmal in Ostthüringen

Abstract

The name of a small town in Eastern Thuringia is discussed here. It is a very difficult name and it is surely not of German origin. Historical documents have shown the name to be almost without any varieties since the Middle Ages. Discussing several Old Sorbian etymological interpretations it gets evident that only one explanation can be accepted with regard to the structure of the name, with regard to similar names in Slavonic languages, and due to the results of Slavonic-German language-contacts.