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Lüüsi (Lüüs)
Sluice, lock. Word derived from Old Dutch slūsa, meaning gated water barrier, ultimately from a Lat. formulation first recorded in 1139 as exitum aquarum, quem sluse vocant (an outlet for water, which they call a sluse) generating the Belgian placename Sluizen it referred to. In time, the exitum aquarum shifted to exclusa aqua (water separated or isolated [by barrage]) and thence to Old French escluse. Given its naming in 2008 along with Madalmaa and Poldri), its Dutch connection refers to its location in an area that used to be called Uus Holland (New Holland) due to its gradual rise from the sea over the past 200 years and hence its former waterlogged soil and rivers (see Paljassaare). Streets now occupying some of the wasteland north of Tuukri.
Madalmaa (Madalmaa)
Lowland. New or projected street (2008) just off Tuukri. Given the latter’s former name of Hollandi, it could (and some say it does) refer to the Netherlands, in which case it should be plural, dammit: Madalmaade. And so, given the area’s slow geological rise out of the sea, we prefer ‘lowland’, and not an embarassing diplomatic error. See also Lüüsi and Poldri.
Paadi (Paat)
Boat. You guessed it, right next to Laeva down by the docks. This street is part of the E67 from Helsinki to Prague. Home to the beautiful wood-built Püha Siimeoni ja naisprohvet Hanna kirik (St. Simeon’s and St. Anne’s Cathedral Church) about whose lives marvellous tales are told! (see Ahtri).
Parda (Parras)
Often given as a synonym of Poordi, this might be due to semantic shift over time. In this case, it would indicate the outer side or ‘board’ of a boat or ship from keel up (and, nowadays, planes etc., too, think ‘boarding-pass’) as in pakpoord (larboard, now port) and tüürpoord (starboard) but used more in expressions such as üle parda kukkuma (to fall overboard), üle parda heitma (to toss overboard, both literally and figuratively). However, given its etymological origin via Proto-German *barđaz from Old Icelandic barð, both meaning ‘edge’ or ‘rim’, some dictionaries translate the word by ‘gunwale’ (from 15th-C Eng, gonne walle) the (thickened?) ridge/‘wall’ (from OE wale, or ship’s side-timber) supporting the ship’s guns. While gunwale is often translated as reeling (calqued on Eng. railing) or reelingulatt, the general consensus seems to be the lath of wood fitted onto the upper edge of the board for its multiple functional purposes.
