Etymology

Dorchester

D2O1R1C3H4E1S1T1E1R1

Today it means: A town and civil parish with a town council in Dorset, southern England, which is the county town (OS grid ref SY6990). Full definition →

Old English Doreċeaster
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The story

  1. Old English · derived fromċeaster“fort, Roman town”
  2. Old English · inherited fromDorceċeaster
  3. Old English · derived fromċeaster“fort, Roman town”
  4. Old English · inherited fromDoreċeaster
  5. English todayDorchester

The town in Dorset is from Old English Doreċeaster, reduced form of Dornwaraċeaster, from Celtic *Durnowāriā (Latin Durnovāria), containing the element *durnos (“fist”) + Old English ċeaster (“fort, Roman town”). The village in Oxfordshire is from Old English Dorceċeaster, Dorcanċeaster, from an unknown Celtic placename derived from *dubros (“water”) + Old English ċeaster (“fort, Roman town”). The civil parish in New Brunswick and Ontario town are named in honour of colonial administrator Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (1724–1808).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishċeaster all →

manchesterChesterWinchesterGloucesterChestermanCaister-cesterCestrian

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.