Durham

/ˈdɝəm/

UK: /ˈdʌ.ɹəm/

Durham

English Noun Top 21,534

Definition

One of a breed of short-horned cattle, originating in the county of Durham, England, and noted for their beef-producing quality.

Etymology

From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of the following syllable (holm), said n denasalised and lenited to the oral r, thus dur. Secondly, after a weakening of the vowel quality in the more weakly-stressed syllable holm, this ending was misanalysed as the similar-sounding toponymic suffix, -ham, meaning home or farm. Doublet of Duresm and Dunelm.