Falkirk

The story

1. Cumbric · derived from*vreith“speckled”
2. Cumbric · derived from*eglēs“church”
3. Middle Irish · derived fromEiglesbrec
4. Old English · derived fromfāg“multicoloured”
5. Middle English · inherited fromFaukirke
6. English todayFalkirk

Inherited from Middle English Faukirke, from Old English fāg (“multicoloured”) + ċiriċe (“church”), a calque of Middle Irish Eiglesbrec (literally “speckled church”), probably ultimately from Cumbric *eglēs (“church”) + Cumbric *vreith (“speckled”). The l is first attested in the 15th century, likely a hypercorrection by analogy with terms such as wall (Scots wa). Compare Medieval Latin Varia Capella (“Falkirk”).

Words from the same roots