Durham
//ˈdʌ.ɹəm// name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One of a breed of short-horned cattle, originating in the county of Durham, England, and noted for their beef-producing quality.
- 2 English breed of short-horned cattle wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A county in the Northeast of England; in full, County Durham.
- 2 A city, the county town of County Durham, England.
- 3 A unitary authority of County Durham, which replaced the county council in 2009 in all of County Durham except Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees; in full, Durham County Council.
- 4 An English habitational surname from Old English from the city in England.
- 5 An outback town in Queensland, Australia.
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 A locale in Canada.; A community in New Brunswick; named for Lord Durham, Governor General of Canada.
- 7 A locale in Canada.; A community in West Grey, Grey County, Ontario.
- 8 A locale in Canada.; A regional municipality east of Toronto Ontario; in full, Regional Municipality of Durham.
- 9 A locale in the United States.; A township and unincorporated community in Washington County, Arkansas.
- 10 A locale in the United States.; A census-designated place in Butte County, California; named for California politician W. W. Durham.
- 11 A locale in the United States.; A town and census-designated place therein, in Middlesex County, Connecticut; named for the city in England.
- 12 A locale in the United States.; An unincorporated community in Walker County, Georgia; named for Durham Coal and Coke Company.
- 13 A locale in the United States.; A township in Hancock County, Illinois.
- 14 A locale in the United States.; An unincorporated community in Gibson County, Indiana.
- 15 A locale in the United States.; A minor city in Marion County, Kansas; named for the breed of cattle.
- 16 A locale in the United States.; A town in Androscoggin County, Maine; named for County Durham, England.
- 17 A locale in the United States.; An unincorporated community in Lewis County, Missouri; named for a railroad employee.
- 18 A locale in the United States.; A town and census-designated place therein, in Strafford County, New Hampshire.
- 19 A locale in the United States.; A town in Greene County, New York; named for the town in Connecticut.
- 20 A locale in the United States.; A city, the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina; named for landowner Bartlett S. Durham.
- 21 A locale in the United States.; A township in Durham County, North Carolina, most of which is in the city.
- 22 A locale in the United States.; An unincorporated community in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma; named for postmaster Doris Durham Morris.
- 23 A locale in the United States.; A city in Washington County, Oregon; named for pioneer and Oregon Territory legislator Alberto Alonzo Durham.
- 24 A locale in the United States.; A township and unincorporated community therein, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Durham is a city on the River Wear."
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.
Related phrases
More for "durham"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.