a river of Germany, rises on the northern slope of the Fichtelgebirge, in the N.E. of Bavaria, and flows in an irregular course, generally northwards, through the Saxon duchies. It waters the states of Reuss, Schwartzburg, Rudolstadt, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, and Saxe-Weimar, and enters the Prussian province of Saxony. Finally, after traversing the duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg, it falls into the Elbe 6 miles below Calbe. Its whole length is 200 miles; and it is navigable for large vessels as far up as Halle. The principal other towns on its banks are Hof, Saalfeld, Jena, Merseburg, and Bernburg. It receives from the right the Elster and other smaller streams, and from the left the Ilm, Unstrut, and others.