Kirkley

K5I1R1K5L1E1Y4

proper noun

A village in Ponteland parish, Northumberland, England (OS grid ref NZ1676).

OriginOld Norse kirkja ← Old English lēah →
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

proper nounKirkley (countable and uncountable, plural Kirkleys)

plural Kirkleys · alternative Kirtley

  1. countableuncountableA village in Ponteland parish, Northumberland, England (OS grid ref NZ1676).
  2. countableuncountableA southern suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England (OS grid ref TM541916).
  3. countableuncountableA habitational surname.

Origin

  1. Old Englishlēah“woodland clearing, glade”
  2. Old Norsekirkja“church”
  3. EnglishKirkley

From Old Norse kirkja (“church”) + Old English lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to church + -ley (“lea”).

More words from Old Norse, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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