Leicestershire
/ˈlɛs.tə(ɹ).ʃə(ɹ)/ · name
Meaning
- An inland county of England bordered by Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Derbyshire.
Etymology / origin
From Old English Lægreċeastresċīr. The middle and last element are ceaster (“town, city”) and scir (“district”), common in placenames. The first element is probably from the former name of the river Soar, *Ligora, *Ligera, of Celtic/Brythonic origin, from Proto-Celtic *legyā (“sediment”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”), similar to the French river Loire. By surface analysis, Leicester + -shire.
- *legʰ-(ine-pro)→
- *legyā(cel-pro)→
- -(cel-bry)→
- -(cel)→
- Lægreċeastresċīr(ang)→
- Leicestershire (English)
- Relations: inh, der, der, der, der
Related words
Sources
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