Etymology

Berkshire

Berk·shire
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Today it means: A breed of pig from Berkshire county. Full definition →

First used mid 1700sMiddle English Barrokschire ← Old English Bearrocsċīr ← Proto-Brythonic *barrọg
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The story

  1. Proto-Brythonic · derived from*barrọg
  2. Old English · inherited fromBearrocsċīr
  3. Middle English · inherited fromBarrokschire
  4. English todayBerkshire

From Middle English Barrokschire, Berchesire, Barrokshyre, Berrucsire, from Old English Bearrocsċīr. The first element is possibly from Proto-Brythonic *barrọg, perhaps meaning “hilly” (compare *barros (“hill, peak, top”)) + Old English sċīr (“shire, county”).

First known use, by meaning

  • mid 1700s A breed of pig from Berkshire county.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.