Where does “Buckinghamshire” come from?
Buckinghamshire derives from Old English Buccingahamscir, combining Buccingham with Old English scir from Proto-West Germanic skīru and Proto-Germanic skīriz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- and sek-, meaning to cut or divide.
Ancestry of “Buckinghamshire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | Buccingahamscir | district of Bucca's home |
| 2 | Old English | Buccingahām | — |
| 3 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | — |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |