York
/jɔːrk/
proper noun
Origin
Brythonic
Eborakon — place of the yew trees
Overview
Meaning Now
- A cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss.
- A common place name in English-speaking countries, most notably New York City.
Literal older meaning
yew-tree village
Language path
Brythonic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
Eboracum
Earliest period
Roman Britain (2nd century AD)
Journey
The city has evolved through Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Viking occupation, each layer of history leaving an imprint on its name from Eboracum to Jórvík.
Evolution
- Roman Britain
Eboracum
“place of the yew trees”
Latinized form of the Celtic name.
- Old English
Eoforwic
“wild boar settlement”
Anglicized folk etymology adapting Eboracum to Germanic elements.
- Old Norse
Jórvík
“horse bay or boar bay”
Influence from Danish settlers in the Danelaw period.
- Middle English
Yerk / York
“York”
Development into the modern pronunciation.
Connections
Word parts
Yew
root
yew tree
Vik
suffix
settlement or bay
Related across languages
Welsh
Efrog
York
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Related to York
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.