In the
Hudson Valley of eastern United States, a vlaie, vly/vlaɪ/ or fly/flaɪ/ is a
swamp or
marsh. It also applies to creeks and areas in the vicinities.[1] The term appears in place names in areas of Dutch influence, formerly
New Netherland.
The
Afrikaans word vlei ("shallow lake") is a
cognate, descended from the same Middle Dutch word.[2]
The Vlie, a channel in
Frisia, may not be related, as it is likely from the Latin Flevo.[5]
Place names
Examples of names of swamps, streams, lakes, and mountains which contain vlaie or other variant spellings:
Burnt Fly Bog: a swamp on the border of Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, New Jersey.
Polifly (meaning "top of the meadow/atop the swamp"), the name by which
Hasbrouck Heights was known during the colonial period.[10] Polifly Road is a major thoroughfare connecting
Hackensack and Hasbrouck Heights.
Head of the Fly: is the area in southern Flushing, Queens, New York,[12] now known as Kew Gardens Hills. A road through the neighborhood, is still called Vleigh Place.
^de Vries, J. (1971).
Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek (in Dutch). *pleu, dat nog voortleeft in lat. germ. Flevo, Flevum, mnl. Fleo, Fli, nnl. Vlie 'waddenstroom aan de Friese kust'.
^"Flea Markets in Arkansas". Arkansas Arts and Crafts. Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. 2006. Archived from
the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-10-11.