river in W Europe, flowing from E Switzerland north through Germany, then west through the Netherlands into the North Sea: c. 820 mi (1,320 km)
Origin:
Ger Rhein < Celt Rēnos < IE *erei- < base *er-, set in motion > run
See Rhine in American Heritage Dictionary 4
A river of western Europe formed by the confluence of two tributaries in eastern Switzerland and flowing about 1,319 km (820 mi) north and northwest through Germany and the Netherlands to its two-pronged outlet on the North Sea. It is a major commercial shipping waterway linked by canals to other important European rivers and passes through a number of scenic valleys.