Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-ton” come from?

-ton (English) comes from Middle English -ton, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

-ton (English): Place-name suffix, originally denoting a town or...

Definitions

  1. Place-name suffix, originally denoting a town or...

Ancestry of “-ton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-ton—
2Old English-tūn—
3Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
4Proto-West Germanictūnfence
5Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
6Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “-ton”

  • Princeton
  • Burlington
  • simpleton
  • Waddington
  • Edgerton
  • singleton
  • Warrenton
  • Bruton
  • Angleton
  • Carrollton
  • Fredericton
  • Irvington
  • Riverton
  • Beaverton
  • Ballston
  • Ironton
  • Flemington
  • Elkton
  • Bradenton
  • Lumberton
  • Alberton
  • Yorkton
  • Princetonian
  • Tifton
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →