A group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean west of Scotland, comprising the Outer Hebrides and the Inner Hebrides. They were the scene of frequent incursions of Scandinavian settlers from the 6th century A.D. They were ceded to Scotland by Norway in the 13th century. The origin of the name is uncertain. It is suggested that it is the result of a miscopying of the Roman name Ebudae or Hebudae with ri for u. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p496 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p235).
