Yonkers
/ˈjɒŋkərz/
noun
Origin
Dutch
jonkheer — young lord; nobleman
Overview
Meaning Now
- A city in Westchester County, New York, situated on the Hudson River.
Literal older meaning
Jonkheer's land
Language path
Middle Dutch → Dutch → English
Earliest form
Jonkers
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The city is named after Adriaen van der Donck, a 17th-century lawyer and landowner in New Netherland. He was commonly referred to by the Dutch honorific 'Jonkheer' (young gentleman), which was anglicized to 'Yonker'. The final 's' in the city's name is generally attributed to the possessive form, meaning the land belonging to the Yonker.
Evolution
- Middle Dutch
jonc-heere
“young lord”
- 17th Century Dutch
Jonkheer
“the young lord (title)”
Refers to Adriaen van der Donck, the patroon of the area.
- 17th Century Colonial American
Jonkers
“land of the Jonkheer”
Anglicized pluralization of the Dutch title.
- Modern English
Yonkers
“City in New York”
Connections
Word parts
Jonkheer
root
young lord
-s
ending
possessive or plural marker
Related across languages
Dutch
jonkheer
young lord
German
Junker
nobleman
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Related to Yonkers
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.