Etymology

Churchdown

C3H4U1R1C3H4D2O1W4N1

Today it means: A large village and civil parish in Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8820). Full definition →

Middle English Chirchesdoun ← Proto-Brythonic *krʉg ← Old English dūn
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromdūn“hill”
  2. Proto-Brythonic · derived from*krʉg“mound”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromChirchesdoun
  4. English todayChurchdown

Inherited from Middle English Chirchesdoun, apparently from Proto-Brythonic *krʉg (“mound”) + Old English dūn (“hill”), though with the second element reinterpreted as Middle English chirche (“church”). The process of reduction that lead to the former local pronunciation (surviving in nearby Chosen Hill) is reflected in the Early Modern English spellings Churson, Chursdon, Chorsdown.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Brythonic*krʉg all →

crick

Old Englishdūn all →

downDunhamDuttonDuntonDunsmoreRawdonDunnettDunwichDuncombeBreedonDownleyDungateLong CrendonNorth Downs

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.