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This article lists a number of common generic forms in place names in the British Isles, their meanings and some examples of their use. The study of place names is called toponymy; for a more detailed examination of this subject in relation to British and Irish place names, refer to Toponymy in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Key to languages: Bry: Brythonic; C: Cumbric; K: Cornish; I: Irish; L: Latin; ME: Middle English; NF: Norman French; OE: Old English (Anglo-Saxon); ON: Old Norse; P: Pictish; S: Scots; SG: Scots Gaelic; W: Welsh
Term | Origin | Meaning | Example | Position | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
aber[1] | C, W, P, K | mouth (of a river), confluence, a meeting of waters | Aberystwyth, Aberdyfi, Aberdeen, Abergavenny, Aberuthven | prefix | See also Aber and Inver (placename elements) Notably absent from northern England.[2] |
ac, acc, ock | OE | acorn, or oak tree | Accrington,[3] Acomb, Acton, Matlock[4] | ||
afon, avon[1] | Bry, C, P, W, SG, K, I | river | River Avon, Avonmouth, Avonwick, Glanyrafon | W afon is pronounced "AH-von"; several English rivers are named Avon. In Irish the word, spelled abhann, is mainly (though not exclusively) pronounced OW-en | |
ar, ard[5][6][7] | I, SG | high, height | Armagh, Ardglass, Ardgay | ||
ash | OE | ash tree | Ashby de la Zouch, Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton-in-Makerfield[8] | ||
ast | OE | east | Aston, Astley[9] | prefix | |
auch(en)/(in)-, ach-[5] | I, SG | field | Auchendinny, Auchenshuggle, Auchinairn, Achnasheen | prefix | anglicised from achadh. Ach- is generally the Highland form, and Auch- the lowland. Auchen- (from Achadh nan ...) means 'field of the ...' |
auchter-[5] | I, SG | height, top of something | Auchtermuchty, Auchterarder | prefix | anglicised from uachdar |
axe, exe, usk, esk | OE | from acsa, meaning river | Exeter, River Axe (Devon), River Exe, River Usk, Axminster, River Esk, Lothian | ||
ay, y, ey[10] | OE/ON | island | Ramsay, Westray, Lundy, Selsey,[11] Orkney | suffix (usually) | |
bal, balla, bally, ball[5] | SG, I | farm, homestead or mouth, approach | Ballachulish, Balerno, Ballymena, Ballinamallard, Ballater, Balmoral | prefix | anglicised from baile or sometimes also béal |
beck,[10] bach | OE,ON | stream | Holbeck,[12] Beckinsale, Troutbeck, Beckton, Tooting Bec, Sandbach, Comberbach, Starbeck | cf. Ger. Bach | |
ban, bannau, bannock, bannog, ben, beinn, beann, binn | I, SG, W | mountain, summit, summits, mountainous | Bannau Brycheiniog, Bannockburn, Benbulbin, Ben Cruachan, Ben Nevis | ||
berg, berry[10] | OE/ON | hill (cf. 'iceberg') | Roseberry Topping, Berkhamsted, Sedbergh | In Farnborough (OE Fernaberga),[13] berg has converged toward borough, Ger. berg | |
bex | OE | boxwood tree | Bexley, Bexhill-on-Sea[14] | The OE name of Bexhill-on-Sea was Bexelei, a glade where box grew.[14] | |
blen, blaen | C, W | fell, hill, upland | Blencathra, Blencogo, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Blantyre | ||
bost[10] | ON | farm | Leurbost | suffix | cf. ster, (bol)staðr; this form is usually found in the Outer Hebrides. Related to Swedish 'bol' as in Bäckebol and Brandsbol, as well the direct cognate Bolstad. |
bourne, burn | OE | large brook, large stream, small river | Bournemouth, Melbourne, Bourne, Eastbourne,[15] Ashbourne, Blackburn, Bannockburn, Goulburn | cf. Ger. -born as in Herborn. The word "burn" is still in common use in Scotland in this sense. | |
brad | OE | broad | Bradford[16] | prefix | |
bre[1] | C, W, K | hill | Bredon, Carn Brea | prefix | |
bryn; also brin and bren | C, K, P, W | hill | Bryn, Brynmawr | usually a prefix | |
bury, borough, brough, burgh | OE | fortified enclosure | Aylesbury, Banbury, Canterbury, Dewsbury, Bury, Pendlebury, Newbury, Shrewsbury, Tewkesbury, Glastonbury,[17] Middlesbrough,[18] Edinburgh, Bamburgh, Peterborough, Knaresborough, Scarborough, Jedburgh, Aldeburgh | (usually) suffix | See also -bury and Borough for further information and other uses. Burgh is primarily Northumbrian and Scots. Cf. Nl. and Ger. Burg |
by,[10] bie | ON | settlement, village | Grimsby,[19] Tenby, Derby, Whitby, Selby, Crosby, Formby, Kirkby, Rugby, Helsby, Corby, Wetherby, Lockerbie | usually suffix but compare Bicker (the town marsh) | also survives in bylaw and by-election |
carden, cardden[2] | C, P, W | enclosure | Kincardine, Cardenden, Pluscarden | suffix | |
caer, car[1] | C, P, W | camp, fortification | Caerdydd, Caerleon, Carlisle,[20] Caerfyrddin | prefix | See also Caer. Brythonic caer from Latin castrum; cf Chester (OE). |
caster, chester, cester, (c/x)eter | OE (<L) | camp, fortification (of Roman origin) | Lancaster,[21] Doncaster, Gloucester, Caister, Manchester, Chichester, Worcester, Chester, Exeter, Cirencester, Colchester, Tadcaster, Leicester, Towcester, Winchester | suffix | |
cheap, chipping | OE | market | Chipping Norton,[22] Chipping Campden, Chepstow, Chipping | also as part of a street, e.g. Cheapside. Chippenham is from a personal name. | |
clere | Possibly W | Possibly clear or bright[23] | Burghclere, Highclere | ||
combe, coombe | Bry | valley | Barcombe ("Valley of the Britons"), Farncombe, Ilfracombe, Salcombe, Coombe Country Park,[24] | usually pronounced 'coo-m' or 'cum', cognate with cwm | |
coed[1] | W | wood, forest | Betws-y-coed | ||
cot, cott | OE,W | cottage, small building or derived from Bry/W Coed or Coet meaning a wood | Ascot, Didcot, Draycott in the Clay, Swadlincote[25] | suffix | |
Craig, crag, creag | Bry, SG, I | A jutting rock. | Craigavon, Creag Meagaidh, Pen y Graig, Ard Crags | This root is common to all the Celtic languages. | |
croft | OE | An enclosed field[26] | Seacroft, Ryecroft, Crofton, Wheatcroft | The term is also traditionally used in Scotland as a land designation. | |
cul | C W | narrow | Culcheth[27] | prefix | |
-cum- | L | with | Salcott-cum-Virley, Cockshutt-cum-Petton, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Bardsey cum Rigton, Wilsford cum Lake | interfix | Used where two parishes were combined into one. Unrelated to Cumbric cum. |
cwm, cum[1] | W, C | valley | Cwmaman, Cumdivock, Cwmann, Cwmbran, Cwm Head | prefix | cwm in Welsh and cum in Cumbric; borrowed into old English as suffix coombe. |
dal[5] | SG, I | meadow, low-lying area by river | Dalry, Dalmellington | prefix | Cognate with and probably influenced by P Dol |
dale[10] | OE/ON | valley OE, allotment OE | Airedale i.e. valley of the River Aire, Rochdale, Weardale, Nidderdale | suffix | Cognate with Tal (Ger.), dalr (ON) |
dean, den, don | OE - denu | valley (dene) | Croydon,[28] Dean Village, Walkden, Horndean, Todmorden[29] | suffix | the geography is often the only indicator as to the original root word (cf. don, a hill) |
din, dinas[1] | W, K | fort | Dinas Powys, Castle an Dinas, Dinas Dinlle | prefix | homologous to dun; see below |
dol | Bry, P, W | meadow, low-lying area by river | Dolgellau, Dull | prefix | |
don, den | Bry via OE | hill, down | Abingdon,[30] Bredon, Willesden | suffix | |
Druineach[31] | SG | uncertain | Airigh nan Druineach, Cladh nan Druineach, Druineachan | ||
drum[5] | SG, I, W, C | ridge, back | Drumchapel, Drumnacanvy, Drumnadrochit, Dundrum, Mindrum | prefix | Gaelic examples are anglicised from druim |
dubh,[5] dow, dhu, duff | SG, I | black | Eilean Dubh, Eas Dubh, Dublin | suffix, occasionally prefix | anglicised from dubh |
dun, dum, don, doune[5] | SG, I, C, Bry, P | fort | Dundee, Dumbarton, Dungannon, Dumfries, Donegal, Dundalk, Dundrum, Dùn Èideann | prefix | See also Dun. Derived from dùn. |
Eagles, Eglos, Eglews, Eccles, Eglwys | W, K(<L), C, P | church | Eaglesham, Egloskerry, Ecclefechan, Eccles, Ecclesfield | from Latin ecclesia, thus cognate to French église and G. eaglais | |
Eilean | I, SG | island | Eilean Donan, Eilean Sùbhainn | Sometimes anglicised to island as a prefix e.g. Island Davaar | |
ey | OE haeg | enclosure | Hornsey,[32] Hay (-on-Wye) | unrelated to -ey 'island', below; see also -hay below | |
ey, ea, eg, eig | OE eg | island | Romsey,[33] Athelney, Ely, Roundhay | cf. Low German -oog as in Langeoog, Dutch -oog as in Schiermonnikoog, Norwegian øy(-a) as in Ulvøya | |
field | OE | open land, a forest clearing | Sheffield,[34] Huddersfield, Wakefield, Mansfield, Macclesfield, Mirfield, Chesterfield, Murrayfield, Whitefield, Lichfield, Driffield | suffix | cf. Ger. Feld |
fin | SG | white, holy | Findochty | prefix | anglicised from fionn |
firth,[10] ford | ON, S | fjord, inlet | Burrafirth, Firth of Forth, Solway Firth, Firth of Clyde, Broadford, Milford Haven, Strangford, Waterford | from Norse fjorðr | |
firth, frith, fridd | OE W | wood or woodland or uncultivated land with small trees and bushes at the edge of cultivated land, especially on hillsides. | Holmfirth, Chapel-en-le-Frith[35] | suffix | |
fold | OE | pen (enclosure) | Dunsfold, Chiddingfold, Cowfold, Alfold, Slinfold | suffix | |
ford, forth, ffordd | OE, W | ford, crossing, road | Saltford, Bradford, Ampleforth, Watford, Salford, Castleford, Guildford, Stafford, Chelmsford, Retford, Dartford, Bideford, Knutsford, Burford, Sleaford Penffordd, Hereford (Henffordd in Welsh), Ilford, Stratford, Romford | cf. Ger. -furt as in Frankfurt am Main | |
fos, foss, ffos | L, OE, W | ditch | River Foss, Fangfoss[36] | Separate from ON foss, force, below | |
foss, force[10] | ON | waterfall | Aira Force, High Force, Hardraw Force, Janet's Foss | Separate from L/OE fos, foss, above | |
gate | ON | road | Gate Helmsley,[37] Harrogate | ||
gar(t)[10] | SG | enclosed field[38] | Garscube, Gartmore, Gartness | ||
garth[10] | ON, W | enclosure, small summit or ridge | Aysgarth | cf. Ger. -gart as in Stuttgart | |
gill, ghyll[10] | ON | ravine, narrow gully | Gillamoor, Garrigill, Dungeon Ghyll | ||
glen,[5] glyn | SG, I, W | narrow valley, dale | Rutherglen, Glenarm, Corby Glen, Glen Nevis | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=List_of_generic_forms_in_place_names_in_the_United_Kingdom_and_Ireland |