Meanings
- An industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, 20km south-west of Leeds (OS grid ref SE0925).
- A civil parish of Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.First known use 1765
- A regional municipality, the capital city of Nova Scotia, Canada.First known use 1749
A Halifax school bus carrying 21 children was rear-ended Monday morning by another vehicle in Hammonds Plains, N.S. […] The Jeep had been travelling behind the bus, did not stop in time in time and hit the back of the bus.
2019 April 9, “No injuries after school bus rear-ended in Hammonds Plains, N.S.”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 02 Sep 2026 - A small town, the county seat of Halifax County, North Carolina, United States.
- A town, the county seat of Halifax County, Virginia, United States.
- An earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain.
Origin
- Old Englishhāliġfeax
- Old Englishhalh-ġefeaxe
- EnglishHalifax
From Old English halh-ġefeaxe (literally “grassy corner”), compounded from halh + ġefeaxe. Folk etymology suggests Old English hāliġfeax (literally “holy hair”), as compounded from hāliġ + feax, from a local legend that the town is said to have received the name from the fact that the hair of a murdered virgin was hung up on a tree in the neighborhood, which became a resort of pilgrims. Compare also Fairfax. The capital city of Nova Scotia is named after statesman George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1716–1771). The civil parish is also named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax. Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian Ха́лифакс
- Ха́лифакс (Hálifaks)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Chinese Mandarin 哈利法克斯, 哈利法克斯
- 哈利法克斯 (Hālìfǎkésī)city in West Yorkshire, England
- 哈利法克斯 (Hālìfǎkésī)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Esperanto Halifakso
- Halifaksocity in Nova Scotia, Canada
French Halifax
- Halifaxcity in Nova Scotia, Canada
German Halifax, Halifax
- Halifaxcity in West Yorkshire, England
- Halifaxcity in Nova Scotia, Canada
Greek Χάλιφαξ, Χάλιφαξ
- Χάλιφαξ (Chálifax)city in West Yorkshire, England
- Χάλιφαξ (Chálifax)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Hindi हैलिफ़ैक्स, हैलिफ़ैक्स
- हैलिफ़ैक्स (hailifaiks)city in West Yorkshire, England
- हैलिफ़ैक्स (hailifaiks)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Japanese ハリファックス, ハリファックス
- ハリファックス (Harifakkusu)city in West Yorkshire, England
- ハリファックス (Harifakkusu)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Korean 핼리팩스, 핼리팩스
- 핼리팩스 (haellipaekseu)city in West Yorkshire, England
- 핼리팩스 (Haellipaekseu)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Latin Halifacium, Halifaxia
- Halifaciumcity in West Yorkshire, England
- Halifaxiacity in Nova Scotia, Canada
Russian Га́лифакс, Галифа́кс
- Га́лифакс (Gálifaks)city in West Yorkshire, England
- Галифа́кс (Galifáks)city in West Yorkshire, England
- Га́лифакс (Gálifaks)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
- Галифа́кс (Galifáks)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Spanish Halifax, Halifax
- Halifaxcity in West Yorkshire, England
- Halifaxcity in Nova Scotia, Canada
Ukrainian Галіфа́кс, Галіфа́кс
- Галіфа́кс (Halifáks)city in West Yorkshire, England
- Галіфа́кс (Halifáks)city in Nova Scotia, Canada
Cite this entry
Halifax. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Halifax
“Halifax.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Halifax. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Halifax,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Halifax.
Source: Halifax on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.