Churchdown

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UK/t͡ʃɜːt͡ʃˈdaʊn//ˈt͡ʃoʊzən/

proper noun

A large village and civil parish in Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8820).

OriginMiddle English Chirchesdoun ← Proto-Brythonic *krʉg ← Old English dūn →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A large village and civil parish in Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8820).

Origin

  1. Old Englishdūn“hill”
  2. Proto-Brythonic*krʉg“mound”
  3. Middle EnglishChirchesdoun
  4. EnglishChurchdown

Inherited from Middle English Chirchesdoun, apparently from Proto-Brythonic *krʉg (“mound”) + Old English dūn (“hill”), though with the second element reinterpreted as Middle English chirche (“church”). The process of reduction that lead to the former local pronunciation (surviving in nearby Chosen Hill) is reflected in the Early Modern English spellings Churson, Chursdon, Chorsdown.

More words from Middle English, Proto-Brythonic, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Churchdown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchdown

MLA

“Churchdown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchdown. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Churchdown,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchdown.

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