Etymology

Hampshire

Hamp·shire
H4A1M3P3S1H4I1R1E1

Today it means: A pig of a domestic breed characterized by erect ears, a black body, and a white band around the middle, covering the front legs. Full definition →

Middle English Hampteschire ← Old English Hāmtūnsċīr
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromHāmtūnsċīr
  2. Middle English · inherited fromHampteschire
  3. English todayHampshire

Inherited from Middle English Hampteschire, from Old English Hāmtūnsċīr, from Hāmtūn (“Southampton”) + sċīr (“shire”). For the development of epenthetic /p/, compare Thompson. The community in Prince Edward Island is named after the county in England. The name was inspired by nearby Wiltshire.

Words from the same roots

Middle EnglishHampteschire all →

Hamptonshire

Old EnglishHāmtūnsċīr all →

Hamptonshire

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.