Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Harrisonburg” come from?

Harrisonburg derives from English Harrison, a patronymic from English Harry, which comes from Old French Henri, ultimately from Frankish Haimrik and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "rule" and "fortress."

Ancestry of “Harrisonburg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishburgA city or town; A fortified town in medieval...
2EnglishburgundyAlternative letter-case form of Burgundy; A dark...
3EnglishBurgundyA variety of red wine from this region; A variety...
4EnglishBurgundy wine—
5EnglishwineAn alcoholic beverage made by fermenting the...
6Middle Englishwynwine; Alternative form of wynne; Alternative form...
7Old Englishwīnwine, vine
8Proto-West Germanicwīnwine
9Proto-Germanicwīnąwine
10Latinvīnum—
11Proto-Italicwīnomwine
12Proto-Indo-Europeanwóyh₁nomwine; vine, wine
13Proto-Indo-Europeanweh₁y-to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weh₁y- →