Lancaster

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Australia/ˈlænkæstə/Australia/ˈlæŋkæstə/UK/ˈlæŋkəstə/US/ˈlæn.kæs.tɚ/

proper noun

A habitational surname from Old English.

Similar
House of LancasterLancastrian line
CommonScrabble 11

Meanings

proper noun

alternative abbreviation Lanc.

  1. A habitational surname from Old English.

    Sylvia Lancaster is the founder of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, a campaigning charitable organisation formed in the wake of her daughter Sophie's tragic murder in 2007.

    2015, Neil Chakraborti, Jon Garland, Responding to Hate Crime: The Case for Connecting Policy and Research
  2. The House of Lancaster, a dynasty of English kings and one of the opposing factions involved in the 15th century Wars of the Roses. The name comes from the fact that its members were descended from John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster; their symbol was a red rose.
  3. A royal duchy, historically in Lancashire but now comprising an expansive real estate portfolio, held by the monarch of the United Kingdom.
  4. The City of Lancaster, a city and local government district with borough status (and city status) in Lancashire in North West England. Its main settlement is Lancaster, from which it obtained its city status. (OS grid ref SD4761).
  5. A locality in the Shire of Campaspe and City of Greater Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
  6. Several places in Canada:
    1. A small former city in New Brunswick, Canada, amalgamated into Saint John in 1967.
    2. A ghost town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
    3. A community in the township of South Glengarry, in eastern Ontario, Canada.
    4. A small community in the city of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
  7. Several places in the United States:
    1. A populated place in Yavapai County, Arizona.
    2. A charter city in Los Angeles County, California.
    3. Another name for Patricksburg, an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Owen County, Indiana.
    4. A census-designated place in Coos County, New Hampshire, within the town of the same name.
    5. A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Lancaster Township.
  8. aircraftA type of four-engined British bomber aircraft built by Avro during World War 2.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe English royal house that reigned from 1399 to 1461; its emblem was a red rose

Similar
House of LancasterLancastrian line
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle EnglishLancaster
  2. EnglishLancaster

From Middle English Lancaster, Loncastre, the name of the Roman fort on the River Lune, from Lune + the Old English suffix ceaster (“town”), found in many placenames.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French Lancastre
  • LancastreThe House of Lancaster
Greek Λάνκαστερ, Λάνκαστερ
  • Λάνκαστερ (Lánkaster)An English surname
  • Λάνκαστερ (Lánkaster)The House of Lancaster
  • Λάνκαστερ (Lánkaster)Four-engined bomber aircraft
Italian Lancaster, Lancastro
  • LancasterThe House of Lancaster
  • LancastroThe House of Lancaster
Portuguese Lancastre
  • LancastreThe House of Lancaster
Welsh Caerhirfryn
  • CaerhirfrynCity in Lancashire

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Lancaster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lancaster

MLA

“Lancaster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lancaster. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lancaster,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lancaster.

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