Where does “Oxfordshire” come from?
Oxfordshire derives from Middle English Oxenford, a place name combining Old English oxen (plural of ox) and ford (a shallow river crossing), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning to lead or pass through.
Ancestry of “Oxfordshire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Oxenfordschire | — |
| 2 | Old English | Oxenafordscir | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċīr | bright; shire; county |
| 4 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |