Severn

S1E1V4E1R1N1
UK/ˈsɛv.ə(ɹ)n/Canada, US/ˈsɛv.ɚn/Australia/ˈsev.ən/

proper noun

A river in England and Wales that flows into the Bristol Channel.

OriginMiddle English Severne ← Old English Sæfern ← Proto-Celtic *Sabrinā →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A river in England and Wales that flows into the Bristol Channel.

    There twice a day the Severn fills, ⁠The salt sea-water passes by, ⁠And hushes half the babbling Wye, And makes a silence in the hills.

    1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XIX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 32
  2. A long river in northern Ontario which flows into Hudson Bay.
  3. A short river in central Ontario which flows into Lake Huron.
  4. A number of other rivers in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
  5. A township in Ontario, Canada, created in 1994 on the amalgamation of several smaller communities.
  6. A census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States.
  7. A small town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States.
  8. A surname.
  9. A unisex given name.

    Severn Darden, an improvisational comedian and actor who worked in theater, film and television, died yesterday at his home in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 65.

    1995 May 27, Ronald Sullivan, “Severn Darden, 65, a Master of Improvisation”, in The New York Times
    1 more example

    It was 1992 and Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki, was addressing the plenary session of the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

    2019 September 26, Frank Chung, “The Greta Thunberg we all forgot”, in News.com.au

Origin

  1. Proto-Celtic*Sabrinā
  2. Old EnglishSæfern
  3. Middle EnglishSeverne
  4. EnglishSevern

From Middle English Severne, from Old English Sæfern, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *Sabrinā (compare Welsh Hafren), perhaps from *samaros (“summer fallow”). Doublet of Sabrina.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Celtic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 赛文河, 塞文河
  • 赛文河the river
  • 塞文河the river
French Severn
  • Severnthe river
Irish an tSabhrainn
  • an tSabhrainnthe river
Korean 세번강
  • 세번강 (sebeon'gang)the river
Welsh Hafren
  • Hafrenthe river

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

seven (non-rhotic)

Anagrams

nevers
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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