Nile is so called by Dr
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Johnson in his Rasselas. The epithet Father is not uncommonly applied to rivers, especially those on which cities are built.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Nile is so called by Dr” mean?
Johnson in his Rasselas. The epithet Father is not uncommonly applied to rivers, especially those on which cities are built.
Is “Nile is so called by Dr” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.