Where does “Northumberland” come from?
Northumberland comes from Middle English Northumberlond, from Old English land meaning "territory or ground," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lendʰ- meaning "to extend or stretch."
Ancestry of “Northumberland”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Northumberlond | — |
| 2 | Middle English | lond | An independent nation, country or realm; A tribe,... |
| 3 | Old English | land | land; a country; region within a country:... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |