Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Hamilton” come from?

Hamilton derives from Old English Hameldūne, combining Hamel with Old English dūne (hill), itself from adūne (downward), from ofdūne, from of (off), from Proto-Germanic ab (off, away), from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo (off, away).

Hamilton (English): A United States ten-dollar bill

Definitions

  1. A United States ten-dollar bill

Ancestry of “Hamilton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishHameldūne—
2Old Englishdūnehill; down, downward
3Old Englishadūne—
4Old Englishofdūneoff the hill; down
5Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
6Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “Hamilton”

  • Hamiltonian
  • Hamiltonism
  • Hamiltonicity
  • Hamiltonianness
  • pseudohamiltonian
  • hypohamiltonian
  • Hamiltono
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →