The Mà ¾e (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic and shortly in Germany. It flows through Bavaria in Germany and through the Plzeà  and Central Bohemian regions. It is the upper course of the Berounka, but usually is considered a separate river. Until its confluence with the Radbuza in Plzeà Â, when it further continues as Berounka, the Mà ¾e is long.
According to one theory, the name is of Slavic origin and is derived from the verb mà ¾ÃÂt (i.e. 'drizzle'). According to the second theory, the name is of Germanic origin and is connected with the root mighia ('urine', meaning "smelly water"). There is also a theory that the name is of Celtic origin, derived from the word mà Âsà(meaning 'marsh', 'swamp') and related to the names of the rivers MieÃÂ, Maas and Mosel.
Originally, the entire stream including the Berounka was called Mà ¾e (, ) and the name first appeared in the 12th century in Chronica Boemorum. The name was written as Mse, Msa and Mzye.
From the 17th century, the lower course started to be named Berounka, but the name Mà ¾e still appeared as a name for the entire stream at the end of the 19th century. In order to avoid confusion, an initiative was created in 2008 to rename the lower course back to the historical name Mà ¾e, but it was unsuccessful due to the strongly adopted current name.
From a water management point of view, the Berounka and Mà ¾e are two different rivers with separate numbering of river kilometres. The Mà ¾e originates in the territory of Mähring in the Upper Palatine Forest at an elevation of , forms the state boundary for a short distance of and then flows to Plzeà Â, where it merges with the Radbuza River at an elevation of and continues as Berounka. It is long, of which is in Germany. In the Czech Republic, it is long, which would make it one of the 25 longest rivers in the country, even if taken separately from the Berounka. Its drainage basin has an area of , of which is in the Czech Republic.
The longest tributaries of the Mà ¾e are:
The most notable settlements on the river are the towns of Tachov and Stà ÂÃÂbro and the city of Plzeà Â.
There are two reservoirs on the Mà ¾e: Hracholusky with an area of and LuÃÂina with an area of . There are 198 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area.
The upper course of the river is home to a population of Eurasian beaver.
The Mà ¾e is suitable for river tourism and belongs to the rivers suitable for less experienced paddlers. However, it is often not passable in the summer with higher temperatures and lower rainfall.