Etymology

Priestley

P3R1I1E1S1T1L1E1Y4

Today it means: A surname from Old English. Full definition →

Old English prēost
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The story

  1. Old English · derived fromprēost“priest”
  2. English todayPriestley

Habitational surname from aby of various minor places in North Yorkshire, from Old English prēost (“priest”) + lēah (“wood clearing, meadow, leigh”). Equivalent to priest + -ley (“lea”).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishprēost all →

priestPresleyPrestwichPresland

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.