The Euphrates () (Arabic: , ; Turkish: ; Syriac: , ) is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia (the other being the Tigris) which flows from Anatolia. Etymology Modern names for the Euphrates may have been derived by popular etymology from the Sumerian and Akkadian names, respectively Buranun and Pu-rat-tu. The former appears in an inscription from the 22nd century BCE associated with King Gudea. Etymologically, Euphrates is a combination of the Greek words ?? (pronounced [LINK: eu] [1]), meaning "well", "easily" or "good" and ??o? (pronounced [LINK: ro-os] [2]), meaning "flow" or "current". Thus, from the Greek ????????, the name literally means "leisurely flowing" or "gentle current" (contrarily, the Tigris is fast-flowing and rapid). Alternatively, the second half of the word Euphrate