Meanings
plural Shadwells
- A placename:
- countableuncountableAn inner suburb of London in the borough of Tower Hamlets, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3580).
- countableuncountableA hamlet in Brettenham parish, Breckland district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TL9383).
- countableuncountableA village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE3439).
- countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States.
- countableA habitational surname from Old English.
Origin
- Old Englishsċeadu“shade; shady place”
- Old Englishscēad“boundary”
- Old Englishsċeald“shallow”
- Old Englishsċeard“notch; shard; cleft, gap”
- EnglishShadwell
Various origins: * The Gloucestershire placename derives from Old English sċeard (“notch; shard; cleft, gap”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The suburb of London is named with Old English sċeald (“shallow”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The Norfolk placename derives from Old English scēad (“boundary”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The West Yorkshire placename probably derives from Old English sċeadu (“shade; shady place”) + wella (“well, spring”).
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Shadwell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shadwell
“Shadwell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shadwell. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Shadwell,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shadwell.
Source: Shadwell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.