Chiltern

C3H4I1L1T1E1R1N1
/ˈtʃɪltən/

proper noun

A former local government district in Buckinghamshire, England, abolished on 31 March 2020.

Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

proper nounChiltern (usually uncountable, plural Chilterns)

plural Chilterns

  1. abbreviationellipsisuncommonuncountableusuallyEllipsis of Chiltern Hills: a geographic area and chalk escarpment in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, England.

    CHILTERN, a chain of chalky hills, running from eaſt to weſt through Buckinghamſhire.

    1771, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1st ed., Vol. II, p. 184
  2. abbreviationellipsishistoricaluncountableusuallyEllipsis of Chiltern Hundreds.
  3. historicaluncountableusuallyA former local government district in Buckinghamshire, England, abolished on 31 March 2020.
  4. uncountableusuallyA town in Victoria, Australia.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

Unknown, but thought to derive from a Celtic toponym, presumably related to height. The other placenames derive from the English hills.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Chiltern. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chiltern

MLA

“Chiltern.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chiltern. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chiltern,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chiltern.

Source: Chiltern on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.