Fortescue

F4O1R1T1E1S1C3U1E1
/ˈfɔɹtəskjuː/

proper noun

A surname.

OriginAnglo-Norman Fortescu ← Old Northern French Fort-Escu ← Old French fort + escut →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

proper nounFortescue (countable and uncountable, plural Fortescues)

plural Fortescues

  1. countableA surname.
  2. countablerareA male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. A placename:
    1. countableuncountableA hamlet in Nether Exe parish, East Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX9299).
    2. countableuncountableA small suburb of Sidmouth, East Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SY1389)
    3. countableuncountableA small village in Holt County, Missouri, United States.
    4. countableuncountableA community in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States.
    5. countableuncountableA locality in Tasman council area, south eastern Tasmania, Australia.
    6. countableuncountableAn ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Australia.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchfort + escut
  2. Old Northern FrenchFort-Escu
  3. Anglo-NormanFortescu
  4. EnglishFortescue

From Anglo-Norman Fortescu, from Old Northern French Fort-Escu, from Old French fort + escut. Literally, “strong shield”.

More words from Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French, Old French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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