Dorchester

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UK/ˈdɔː(ɹ)ˌtʃɛstə(ɹ)/UK/ˈdɔː(ɹ)tʃɪstə(ɹ)/US/ˈdɔɹˌtʃɛstɚ/

proper noun

A town and civil parish with a town council in Dorset, southern England, which is the county town (OS grid ref SY6990).

Similar
Dorchester-on-Thames
OriginOld English Doreċeaster →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A town and civil parish with a town council in Dorset, southern England, which is the county town (OS grid ref SY6990).
  2. A village and civil parish (served by Dorchester-on-Thames Parish Council) in South Oxfordshire district, Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames (OS grid ref SU5794).

    Synonyms: Dorchester-on-Thames

  3. A civil parish and shire town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada.
  4. A town in Thames Centre municipality, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.
  5. A number of places in the United States:
    1. A village and township in Macoupin County, Illinois.
    2. An unincorporated community in Waterloo Township, Allamakee County, Iowa.
    3. A neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
    4. A village in Saline County, Nebraska.
    5. A town in Grafton County, New Hampshire.
    6. A ghost town in what is now Dorchester County, South Carolina.
    7. A minor city in Grayson County, Texas.
    8. An unincorporated community and coal town in Wise County, Virginia.
    9. A village mostly in Clark County, Wisconsin.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA village and civil parish (served by Dorchester-on-Thames Parish Council) in South Oxfordshire district, Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames (OS grid ref SU5794).

Similar
Dorchester-on-Thames
Also see
dorchester-on-thames

Origin

  1. Old Englishċeaster“fort, Roman town”
  2. Old EnglishDorceċeaster
  3. Old Englishċeaster“fort, Roman town”
  4. Old EnglishDoreċeaster
  5. EnglishDorchester

The town in Dorset is from Old English Doreċeaster, reduced form of Dornwaraċeaster, from Celtic *Durnowāriā (Latin Durnovāria), containing the element *durnos (“fist”) + Old English ċeaster (“fort, Roman town”). The village in Oxfordshire is from Old English Dorceċeaster, Dorcanċeaster, from an unknown Celtic placename derived from *dubros (“water”) + Old English ċeaster (“fort, Roman town”). The civil parish in New Brunswick and Ontario town are named in honour of colonial administrator Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (1724–1808).

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Latin Durnovāria, Dorcestria
  • Durnovāriatown in Dorset
  • Dorcestriatown in Dorset
Cite this entry
APA

Dorchester. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorchester

MLA

“Dorchester.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorchester. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dorchester,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorchester.

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