Meanings
alternative Furnas
- A peninsula in south-west Cumbria, England, historically part of Lancashire.
The Conservatives lost Carlisle, Penrith and Solway, Whitehaven and Workington, Barrow and Furness and Morecambe and Lunesdale.
2024 July 5, “Labour seizes Cumbria winning five of six seats”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2024, retrieved 02 Sep 2026 - A surname.
Origin
- Old Irishfoithir“wood; slope”
- Old Englishfodor“fodder”
- EnglishFurness
* The placename is of Old Norse origin; the second element is nes (“headland”). The first has been variously explained as: ** the obsolete futh (“rump”) + nes (“headland”), possibly referring to Piel Island. ** derived from Old English fodor (“fodder”) ** McClure suggested a derivation from Old Irish foithir (“wood; slope”) * The surname is from the above place. * As an English surname of Norman origin, variant of Furneaux, Furnace. * As a Norwegian surname, old variant of Furnes, from several farmstead names derived from Old Norse fura (“pine”) + nes (“headland”).
More words from Old English, Old Irish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Furness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Furness
“Furness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Furness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Furness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Furness.
Source: Furness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.