Where does “Greenwich” come from?
Greenwich comes from Old English Grēnawīċ, a place name of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.
Greenwich (English): The Greenwich meridian; the prime meridian
Definitions
- The Greenwich meridian; the prime meridian
Ancestry of “Greenwich”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Greenwich | — |
| 2 | Old English | Grēnawīċ | — |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | joke |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |