 Another is that the name refers to a ford across the river administered by the church, the pious.According to Michel Grosclaude and other onomasticians, more recent research suggests the pre-Indo-European root for a rockface was "*pal" or "*bal," and that the name refers to Pau's position at the foot of the mountains.The palisade or pal, from the Latin "palum", also has the same ancient basis but it is not under this meaning that formed the name of Pau, this can be compared to the Col de Pau in the Aspe Valley (, Lescun) which has nothing to do with the city.